Browsing by Author "McCarthy, Ian"

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    ItemOpen Access
    Identification of decision criteria for revision surgery among patients with proximal junctional failure after surgical treatment of spinal deformity.
    (Spine, 2013-09) Hart, Robert; McCarthy, Ian; Oʼbrien, Michael; Bess, Shay; Line, Brett; Adjei, Oheneba Boachie; Burton, Doug; Gupta, Munish; Ames, Christopher; Deviren, Vedat; Kebaish, Khaled; Shaffrey, Christopher; Wood, Kirkham; Hostin, Richard; International Spine Study Group

    Study design

    Multicenter, retrospective, consecutive case series.

    Objective

    This study aims to identify demographic and radiographical characteristics that influence the decision to perform revision surgery among patients with proximal junctional failure (PJF).

    Summary of background data

    Revision rates after PJF remain relatively high, yet the decision criteria for performing revision surgical procedures are not uniform and vary by surgeon. A better understanding of the factors that impact the decision to perform revision surgery is important in order to improve efficiency of surgical treatment of adult spinal deformity.

    Methods

    A cohort of 57 patients with PJF was identified retrospectively from 1218 consecutive patients with adult spinal deformity. PJF was identified on the basis of 10° postoperative increase in kyphosis between upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) and UIV +2, along with 1 or more of the following: fracture of the vertebral body of UIV or UIV +1, posterior osseoligamentous disruption, or pullout of instrumentation at the UIV. Univariate statistical analysis was performed using t tests and Fisher exact tests. Multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression.

    Results

    Twenty-seven (47.4%) patients underwent revision surgery within 6 months of the index operation. Regression results revealed that patients with combined posterior/anterior approaches at index were significantly more likely to undergo revision (P = 0.001) as were patients with more extreme proximal junctional kyphosis angulation (P = 0.034). Patients sustaining trauma were also significantly more likely to undergo revision (P = 0.019). Variables approaching but not reaching significance as predictors of revision included female sex (P = 0.066) and higher sagittal vertical axis (SVA) (P = 0.090).

    Conclusion

    The decision to perform revision surgery is complicated and varies by surgeon. Factors that seem to influence this decision include traumatic etiology of PJF, severity of proximal junctional kyphosis angulation, higher SVA, and female sex. Factors that were expected to influence revision but had no statistical effect included soft tissue versus bony mode of failure, age, levels fused, and upper thoracic versus thoracolumbar proximal junction.
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    Incidence, mode, and location of acute proximal junctional failures after surgical treatment of adult spinal deformity.
    (Spine, 2013-05) Hostin, Richard; McCarthy, Ian; OʼBrien, Michael; Bess, Shay; Line, Breton; Boachie-Adjei, Oheneba; Burton, Doug; Gupta, Munish; Ames, Christopher; Deviren, Vedat; Kebaish, Khaled; Shaffrey, Christopher; Wood, Kirkham; Hart, Robert; International Spine Study Group

    Study design

    Multicenter, retrospective series.

    Objective

    To analyze the incidence, mode, and location of acute proximal junctional failures (APJFs) after surgical treatment of adult spinal deformity.

    Summary of background data

    Early proximal junctional failures above adult deformity constructs are a serious clinical problem; however, the incidence and nature of early APJFs remain unclear.

    Methods

    A total of 1218 consecutive adult spinal deformity surgeries across 10 deformity centers were retrospectively reviewed to evaluate the incidence and nature of APJF, defined as any of the following within 28 weeks of index procedure: minimum 15° post-operative increase in proximal junctional kyphosis, vertebral fracture of upper instrumented vertebrae (UIV) or UIV + 1, failure of UIV fixation, or need for proximal extension of fusion within 6 months of surgery.

    Results

    Sixty-eight APJF cases were identified out of 1218 consecutive surgeries (5.6%). Patients had a mean age of 63 years (range, 26-82 yr), mean fusion levels of 9.8 (range, 4-18), and mean time to APJF of 11.4 weeks (range, 1.5-28 wk). Fracture was the most common failure mode (47%), followed by soft-tissue failure (44%). Failures most often occurred in the thoracolumbar region (TL-APJF) compared with the upper thoracic region (UT-APJF), with 66% of patients experiencing TL-APJF compared with 34% experiencing UT-APJF. Fracture was significantly more common for TL-APJF relative to UT-APJF (P = 0.00), whereas soft-tissue failure was more common for UT-APJF (P < 0.02). Patients experiencing TL-APJF were also older (P = 0.00), had fewer fusion levels (P = 0.00), and had worse postoperative sagittal vertical axis (P < 0.01).

    Conclusion

    APJFs were identified in 5.6% of patients undergoing surgical treatment of adult spinal deformity, with failures occurring primarily in the TL region of the spine. There is evidence that the mode of failure differs depending on the location of UIV, with TL failures more likely due to fracture and UT failures more likely due to soft-tissue failures.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Proximal junctional kyphosis and proximal junctional failure.
    (Neurosurgery clinics of North America, 2013-04) Hart, Robert A; McCarthy, Ian; Ames, Christopher P; Shaffrey, Christopher I; Hamilton, David Kojo; Hostin, Richard
    Proximal junctional failure (PJF) should be distinguished from proximal junctional kyphosis, which is a recurrent deformity with limited clinical impact. PJF includes mechanical failure, and is a significant complication following adult spinal deformity surgery with potential for neurologic injury and increased need for surgical revision. Risk factors for PJF include age, severity of sagittal plane deformity, and extent of operative sagittal plane realignment. Techniques for avoiding PJF will likely require refinements in both perioperative and surgical strategies.
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    The Health Impact of Symptomatic Adult Spinal Deformity: Comparison of Deformity Types to United States Population Norms and Chronic Diseases.
    (Spine, 2016-02) Bess, Shay; Line, Breton; Fu, Kai-Ming; McCarthy, Ian; Lafage, Virgine; Schwab, Frank; Shaffrey, Christopher; Ames, Christopher; Akbarnia, Behrooz; Jo, Han; Kelly, Michael; Burton, Douglas; Hart, Robert; Klineberg, Eric; Kebaish, Khaled; Hostin, Richard; Mundis, Gregory; Mummaneni, Praveen; Smith, Justin S; International Spine Study Group
    A retrospective analysis of a prospective, multicenter database.The aim of this study was to evaluate the health impact of symptomatic adult spinal deformity (SASD) by comparing Standard Form Version 2 (SF-36) scores for SASD with United States normative and chronic disease values.Recent data have identified radiographic parameters correlating with poor health-related quality of life for SASD. Disability comparisons between SASD patients and patients with chronic diseases may provide further insight to the disease burden caused by SASD.Consecutive SASD patients, with no history of spine surgery, were enrolled into a multicenter database and evaluated for type and severity of spinal deformity. Baseline SF-36 physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) values for SASD patients were compared with reported U.S. normative and chronic disease SF-36 scores. SF-36 scores were reported as normative-based scores (NBS) and evaluated for minimally clinical important difference (MCID).Between 2008 and 2011, 497 SASD patients were prospectively enrolled and evaluated. Mean PCS for all SASD was lower than U.S. total population (ASD = 40.9; US = 50; P < 0.05). Generational decline in PCS for SASD patients with no other reported comorbidities was more rapid than U.S. norms (P < 0.05). PCS worsened with lumbar scoliosis and increasing sagittal vertical axis (SVA). PCS scores for patients with isolated thoracic scoliosis were similar to values reported by individuals with chronic back pain (45.5 vs 45.7, respectively; P > 0.05), whereas patients with lumbar scoliosis combined with severe sagittal malalignment (SVA >10 cm) demonstrated worse PCS scores than values reported by patients with limited use of arms and legs (24.7 vs 29.1, respectively; P < 0.05).SASD is a heterogeneous condition that, depending upon the type and severity of the deformity, can have a debilitating impact on health often exceeding the disability of more recognized chronic diseases. Health care providers must be aware of the types of SASD that correlate with disability to facilitate appropriate diagnosis, treatment, and research efforts.3.