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Do Adult Spinal Deformity Patients Undergoing Surgery Continue to Improve From 1-Year to 2-Years Postoperative?
Scott L Zuckerman1,2, Christopher S Lai1, Yong Shen1
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, The Och Spine Hospital at New York Presbyterian, New York, NY, USA.
Objective:
Evaluate clinical improvement as measured by patient-reported outcomes (PROs) during the 1 to 2-year interval.
Study Design:
Retrospective Cohort.
Methods:
A single-institution registry of ASD patients undergoing surgery was queried for patients with ≥6 level fusions. Demographics and radiographic variables were collected. PROs collected were the ODI and SRS-22r scores at: preoperative, 1-year and 2-years. Outcome measures of clinical improvement during the 1-2 year time interval were: 1) group medians, 2) percent minimum clinically important difference (MCID), and 3) percent minimal symptom scale (MSS)(ODI < 20 or SRS-pain + function >8). Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, chi-squared tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and logistic regression were performed.
Results:
157 patients undergoing ASD surgery with minimum of 1-year follow-up were included. Mean age was 53.2 and mean instrumented levels was 13.1. Preoperative alignment was: Neutral Alignment (NA) 49%, Coronal Malalignment (CM) 17%, Sagittal Malalignment (SM 17%), and Combined Coronal/Sagittal Malalignment (CCSM) 18%. Preoperative to 1-year, and preoperative to 2-years, all ODI/SRS-22r significantly improved (P < .001). In all patients, the only significant improvement in PROs between 1-and 2-year postoperative were those reaching ODI MCID (69% 1-year vs. 84% 2-years; P < .001). Subgroup analysis: ≥55 years had an improved median ODI (18 vs. 8; P = .047) and an improved percent achieving ODI MCID (73% vs. 84%, P = .048). CCSM patients experienced significant improvement in SRS-appearance score (75% vs. 100%; P = .050), along with those with severe preoperative SM >7.5 cm (73% vs. 100%; P = .032).
Conclusions:
Most ASD patients experience the majority of PRO improvement by 1-year postoperative. However, subsets of patients that may continue to improve up to 2-years postoperative include patients ≥55 years, combined coronal/sagittal malalignment, and those with severe sagittal malalignment ≥7.5 cm.
