Morbidity and mortality in the surgical treatment of 10,329 adults with degenerative lumbar stenosis.

Abstract

Object

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prospectively collected Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) database to assess the incidences of morbidity and mortality (M&M) in the operative treatment of degenerative lumbar stenosis, one of the most common procedures performed by spine surgeons.

Methods

All patients who underwent surgical treatment for degenerative lumbar stenosis between 2004 and 2007 were identified from the SRS M&M database. Inclusion criteria for analysis included an age >or= 21 years and no history of lumbar surgery. Patients were treated with either decompression alone or decompression with concomitant fusion. Statistical comparisons were performed using a 2-sided Fisher exact test.

Results

Of the 10,329 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 6609 (64%) were treated with decompression alone, and 3720 (36%) were treated with decompression and fusion. Among those who underwent fusion, instrumentation was placed in 3377 (91%). The overall mean patient age was 63 +/- 13 years (range 21-96 years). Seven hundred nineteen complications (7.0%), including 13 deaths (0.1%), were identified. New neurological deficits were reported in 0.6% of patients. Deaths were related to cardiac (4 cases), respiratory (5 cases), pulmonary embolus (2 cases), and sepsis (1 case) etiologies, and a perforated gastric ulcer (1 case). Complication rates did not differ based on patient age or whether fusion was performed. Minimally invasive procedures were associated with fewer complications and fewer new neurological deficits (p = 0.01 and 0.03, respectively).

Conclusions

The results from this analysis of the SRS M&M database provide surgeons with useful information for preoperative counseling of patients contemplating surgical intervention for symptomatic degenerative lumbar stenosis.

Department

Description

Provenance

Subjects

Lumbar Vertebrae, Humans, Spinal Stenosis, Postoperative Complications, Decompression, Surgical, Spinal Fusion, Prospective Studies, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Middle Aged, Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures

Citation

Published Version (Please cite this version)

10.3171/2009.11.spine09531

Publication Info

Fu, Kai-Ming G, Justin S Smith, David W Polly, Joseph H Perra, Charles A Sansur, Sigurd H Berven, Paul A Broadstone, Theodore J Choma, et al. (2010). Morbidity and mortality in the surgical treatment of 10,329 adults with degenerative lumbar stenosis. Journal of neurosurgery. Spine, 12(5). pp. 443–446. 10.3171/2009.11.spine09531 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/29259.

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Scholars@Duke

Shaffrey

Christopher Ignatius Shaffrey

Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery

I have more than 25 years of experience treating patients of all ages with spinal disorders. I have had an interest in the management of spinal disorders since starting my medical education. I performed residencies in both orthopaedic surgery and neurosurgery to gain a comprehensive understanding of the entire range of spinal disorders. My goal has been to find innovative ways to manage the range of spinal conditions, straightforward to complex. I have a focus on managing patients with complex spinal disorders. My patient evaluation and management philosophy is to provide engaged, compassionate care that focuses on providing the simplest and least aggressive treatment option for a particular condition. In many cases, non-operative treatment options exist to improve a patient’s symptoms. I have been actively engaged in clinical research to find the best ways to manage spinal disorders in order to achieve better results with fewer complications.


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