Radiographic Outcomes of Adult Spinal Deformity Correction : A Critical Analysis of Variability and Failures Across Deformity Patterns

Study Design: Multicenter, prospective, consecutive, surgical case series from the International Spine Study Group. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of surgical treatment in restoring spinopelvic (SP) alignment. Summary of Background Data: Pain and disability in the setting of adult spinal deformity have been correlated with global coronal alignment (GCA), sagittal vertical axis (SVA), pelvic incidence/lumbar lordosis mismatch (PI-LL), and pelvic tilt (PT). One of the main goals of surgery for adult spinal deformity is to correct these parameters to restore harmonious SP alignment. Methods: Inclusion criteria were operative patients (age greater than 18 years) with baseline (BL) and 1-year full-length X-rays. Thoracic and thoracolumbar Cobb angle and previous mentioned parameters were calculated. Each parameter at BL and 1 year was categorized as either pathological or normal. Pathologic limits were: Cobb greater than 30 , GCA greater than 40 mm, SVA greater than 40 mm, PI-LL greater than 10 , and PT greater than 20 . According to thresholds, corrected or worsened alignment groups of patients were identified and overall radiographic effectiveness of procedure was evaluated by combining the results from the coronal and sagittal planes. Fondation Paristech, ISS

The efficacy and safety of intraoperative acute normovolaemic haemodilution in complex spine surgery in a private surgical facility in Ghana

Objectives: To assess the safety and clinical benefits of intraoperative acute normovolaemic haemodilution (ANH) incomplex spine surgery. Design: Prospective comparative cohort studySetting: A private orthopaedic hospital in GhanaPatients: Seventy-six patients who underwent complex spine deformity surgeryInterventions: Patients were randomly assigned to two groups. 45 patients to the acute normovolaemic haemodilution(ANH) or Group 1 and 31patients to the non-ANH or Group 2. Following anesthetic administration and before incision, autologous blood was collected from patients in Group1 and was reinfused during/shortly after surgery while patients in Group2 were transfused with compatible allogeneic blood intraoperatively.Main Outcome Measures: Changes in haemodynamic parameters and incidence of allogeneic transfusions and related complications.Results: The mean age (years), gender ratio, deformity size and aetiology, fusion levels, and operative times were similar in both groups. Blood loss (ml) of patients in groups 1 and 2 were 1583ml± 830.48 vs 1623ml ± 681.34, p=0.82, respectively. The rate of allogeneic blood transfusion in groups 1 and 2 were 71% vs 80.65%, p=0.88, respectively. Haemoglobin levels (g/dL) in groups 1 and 2 were comparable in both groups at Post-operative Day (POD) 0 and POD 1. Incidence of minor allogeneic transfusion reaction was 1/45 vs 1/31, p=0.80, group-1 and group-2, respectively.Conclusion: Acute normovolaemic haemodilution can be safely performed in complex spine surgery in underserved regions. However, its use does not obviate allogeneic transfusion in patients with complex spine deformities in whom large volumes of blood loss is expected

Outcomes of Fusions From the Cervical Spine to the Pelvis.

Study designRetrospective cohort study.ObjectiveDetermine the indications, complications, and clinical outcomes in patients requiring fusions from the cervical spine to the pelvis. Several investigators have examined fusions from the thoracic spine to the sacrum, but no similar study has been performed for cervical-to-pelvis fusions.MethodsPatients from 2003 to 2014 with an upper instrumented vertebrae (UIV) in the cervical spine (any level) and a lower instrumented vertebrae (LIV) in the sacrum or pelvis were included in the study. Those with infectious or acute trauma-related deformities were excluded. Patient demographics, medical history, diagnosis, operative procedure, and health-related quality of life measures were analyzed. Student's t test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and χ2 test were used as appropriate; significance was set at P < .05 for all tests.ResultsFifty-five patients met inclusion criteria for the study. Average follow-up was 2.8 years. Proximal junctional kyphosis was the most common indication for cervical-to-pelvis fusions (36%). The most common UIV was C2 (29%) followed by C7 (24%). There was an average 31° correction in maximum kyphosis and a 3.3 cm improvement in sagittal vertical axis. In adults, the rate of complication was 71.4%, with a major complication rate of 39.3% and reoperation rate of 53.6%. There was significant improvement in the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS-22r) score (3.0 to 3.5; P < .01).ConclusionProximal junctional kyphosis is the most common indication for patients requiring fusion to the cervical spine. Adult patients incur a significant risk of major complications and reoperations. However, significant improvement in SRS-22r outcomes are noted in these patients

Acute Reciprocal Changes Distant from the Site of Spinal Osteotomies Affect Global Postoperative Alignment

Introduction. Three-column vertebral resections are frequently applied to correct sagittal malalignment; their effects on distant unfused levels need to be understood. Methods. 134 consecutive adult PSO patients were included (29 thoracic, 105 lumbar). Radiographic analysis included pre- and postoperative regional curvatures and pelvic parameters, with paired independent t-tests to evaluate changes. Results. A thoracic osteotomy with limited fusion leads to a correction of the kyphosis and to a spontaneous decrease of the unfused lumbar lordosis (−8°). When the fusion was extended, the lumbar lordosis increased (+8°). A lumbar osteotomy with limited fusion leads to a correction of the lumbar lordosis and to a spontaneous increase of the unfused thoracic kyphosis (+13°). When the fusion was extended, the thoracic kyphosis increased by 6°. Conclusion. Data from this study suggest that lumbar and thoracic resection leads to reciprocal changes in unfused segments and requires consideration beyond focal corrections

Radiographic Outcomes of Adult Spinal Deformity Correction : A Critical Analysis of Variability and Failures Across Deformity Patterns

International audienceStudy Design: Multicenter, prospective, consecutive, surgical case series from the International Spine Study Group.Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of surgical treatment in restoring spinopelvic (SP) alignment.Summary of Background Data: Pain and disability in the setting of adult spinal deformity have been correlated with global coronal alignment (GCA), sagittal vertical axis (SVA), pelvic incidence/lumbar lordosis mismatch (PI-LL), and pelvic tilt (PT). One of the maingoals of surgery for adult spinal deformity is to correct these parameters to restore harmonious SP alignment.Methods: Inclusion criteria were operative patients (age greater than 18 years) with baseline (BL) and 1-year full-length X-rays. Thoracic and thoracolumbar Cobb angle and previous mentioned parameters were calculated. Each parameter at BL and 1 year was categorized as either pathological or normal. Pathologic limits were: Cobb greater than 30 , GCA greater than 40 mm, SVA greater than 40 mm, PI-LL greater than 10 , and PT greater than 20 . According to thresholds, corrected or worsened alignment groups of patients were identified and overall radiographic effectiveness of procedure was evaluated by combining the results from the coronal and sagittal planes

Clinical Improvement Through Surgery for Adult Spinal Deformity: What Can Be Expected and Who Is Likely to Benefit Most ?

Study Design: Multicenter, prospective, nonconsecutive, surgical case series from the International Spine Study Group. Objectives: To evaluate the extent of clinical improvement after surgery for adult spinal deformity (ASD) based on minimal clinically important difference (MCID) and baseline measures. Summary of Background Data: For ASD, evaluation of surgical treatment success using clinical scores should take into account baseline disability and pain and the improvement defined relative to the MCID. Methods: Inclusion criteria included operative patients (age O18 years) with baseline and 2-year SRS-22 scores. Normative values for the SRS scores were included and improvement for patients was expressed in number of MCIDs. At baseline, patients were classified by differences in activity and pain scores from normative values in four groups: ‘‘worst,’’ ‘‘severe,’’ ‘‘poor,’’ and, ‘‘moderate.’’ At 2 years after surgery, patients were classified into four groups based on their change in SRS score as follows: ‘‘no improvement or deterioration,’’ ‘‘mediocre,’’ ‘‘satisfactory,’’ or ‘‘optimal.’’ Distinction among curve types was also performed based on the SRS-Schwab ASD classification. Results: A total of 223 patients (age 5 55 15 years) were included. At baseline, for 77% of the patients, the worst scores were in Activity or Pain. At baseline, the distribution was 36%‘‘worst,’’ 28%‘‘severe,’’ 19% ‘‘poor,’’ and 17% ‘‘moderate.’’ Patients with sagittal malalignment only were more likely to be in the ‘‘worst’’ state (54%). The overall distribution of improvement was as follows: 24% no improvement or deterioration, 17% mediocre, 25%satisfactory, and 33%optimal. Forty-one percent of baseline ‘‘moderate’’ patients achieved no improvement. Of the baseline ‘‘worst’’ patients, 20% achieved no improvement, and 36% and 19% achieved ‘‘satisfactory’’ and ‘‘optimal’’ improvement, respectively. Conclusion: Overall, 24% of patients did not experience improvement after surgery. Patients with baseline severe disability were more likely to perceive improvement than patients with less disability.This study was supported by the International Spine Study Group and partially funded via a grant received from Depuy Synthes (Grant # NCT00738439) and the Scoliosis Research Society

Spinal cord injury in high-risk complex adult spinal deformity surgery: review of incidence and outcomes from the Scoli-RISK-1 study.

STUDY DESIGN: Clinical case series. OBJECTIVE: To describe the cause, treatment and outcome of 6 cases of perioperative spinal cord injury (SCI) in high-risk adult deformity surgery. SETTING: Adult spinal deformity patients were enrolled in the multi-center Scoli-RISK-1 cohort study. METHODS: A total of 272 patients who underwent complex adult deformity surgery were enrolled in the prospective, multi-center Scoli-RISK-1 cohort study. Clinical follow up data were available up to a maximum of 2 years after index surgery. Cases of perioperative SCI were identified and an extensive case review was performed. RESULTS: Six individuals with SCI were identified from the Scoli-RISK-1 database (2.2%). Two cases occurred intraoperatively and four cases occurred postoperatively. The first case was an incomplete SCI due to a direct intraoperative insult and was treated postoperatively with Riluzole. The second SCI case was caused by a compression injury due to overcorrection of the deformity. Three cases of incomplete SCI occurred; one case of postoperative hematoma, one case of proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) and one case of adjacent segment disc herniation. All cases of post-operative incomplete SCI were managed with revision decompression and resulted in excellent clinical recovery. One case of incomplete SCI resulted from infection and PJK. The patients treatment was complicated by a delay in revision and the patient suffered persistent neurological deficits up to six weeks following the onset of SCI. CONCLUSION: Despite the low incidence in high-risk adult deformity surgeries, perioperative SCI can result in devastating consequences. Thus, appropriate postoperative care, follow up and timely management of SCI are essential

Extension of previous fusions to the Sacro-Pelvis vs. Primary spino-pelvic fusions in the setting of adult deformity: A Comparison of health related quality of life measures and complications [abstract]

Comparative Medicine - OneHealth and Comparative Medicine Poster SessionSummary: Clinical and radiographic evaluation of revision extension of previous long thoracolumbar fusion to the sacro-pelvis compared to primary lumbosacral fusion indicates that although the two patient populations are heterogeneous, clinical outcomes and complication rates of salvage procedures where a prior spinal fusion procedure is extended to the sacropelvis compare favorably to primary sacro-pelvic fusion for adult spinal deformity. Introduction: Patients previously treated with thoracolumbar fusion for spinal deformity may develop degenerative changes below the fusion requiring revision fusion to the sacro-pelvis. Little data exists on the characteristics of patients treated with revision extension to sacro-pelvis compared to primary lumbosacral fusion. We evaluated the differences between patients undergoing revision extension of fusion vs. primary fusion to the sacro-pelvis, minimum 2-year follow-up. Methods: The revision group (REVISION) included multicenter retrospective evaluation of 44 of 54 consecutive patients (1995-2006) that had a previous long fusion ending from L3-5, revised by extension fusion to the sacro-pelvis for symptomatic degeneration. The primary group (PRIMARY) included 20 of 20 consecutive patients prospectively enrolled (2000-2006) at a single center database that received primary long arthrodesis to the sacro-pelvis for adult deformity. Clinical and radiographic evaluation included demographics, coronal and sagittal measures, postoperative SRS-22 scores, and perioperative complications. Results: Mean patient age was 52 years (range 21-81 years). Mean follow up was 43 months (range 23-135 months). PRIMARY had greater median age (59 vs. 49 years; p<0.01) and longer follow up (44 vs. 31 months, p<0.05) than REVISION. PRIMARY had larger preoperative thoracolumbar curve (median TL; 48° vs. 36°; p<0.01) and less sagittal imbalance (median SVA; 0.0. vs. 5.0 cm; p<0.05) than REVISION. Postoperative SVA was similar for PRIMARY and REVISION (median 0.9 vs. 2.6 cm, respectively; p=0.25). REVISION had better postoperative SRS-22 scores (median 3.80 vs. 3.12, p<0.01) and fewer patients with minimum one complication [11 (25%) vs. 11 (55%), p<0.05] than PRIMARY (Table 1) Conclusion: Significant differences were demonstrated between patients undergoing primary vs. revision extension to the sacro-pelvis. PRIMARY were older, and had larger TL curves, whereas REVISION had greater sagittal imbalance. While PRIMARY had more complications, multiple factors could account for this other than surgery type, including differences in age or number of levels fused. The retrospective nature of the study may have also underrepresented minor complications. Although the groups were heterogeneous, radiographic, SRS-22 and complications analysis indicate clinical outcomes of salvage procedures where a prior spinal fusion procedure is extended to the sacropelvis compare favorably to primary sacro-pelvic fusion for adult spinal deformity