Systemic Risk Factors for Adult Spinal Deformity (ASD): A Retrospective Analysis of 48 Patients

Adult spinal deformity (ASD) results in significant patient morbidity and burden to quality of life. The degree to which systemic risk factors and comorbidities that contribute to ASD affect specific spinopelvic parameters is not well-documented. We determine the extent to which preoperative risk factors may contribute to spinopelvic parameters associated with ASD.

Retrospective single-center study of 48 patients with ASD. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate correlation between systemic comorbidities (obesity, arterial hypertension (HTN), hyperlipidemia (HLD), cardiomyopathy, diabetes mellitus (DM), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma) and the following radiographic parameters: pelvic incidence (PI), lumbar lordosis (LL), C7 sagittal vertical axis (C7SVA), and the T10-L2 sagittal cobb angle.

A total of 48 patients were included with mean C7SVA of 79.6 mm (SD: 63, range: 43-254), mean LL of 32.9° (SD: 15.9, range: -14 to 78), T10-L2 sagittal cobb angle of 3° (SD: 12.7, range: -24 to 30), and PI was 49° (SD: 10.7, range: 21 to 77). Only DM correlated with sagittal imbalance with high C7SVA and PI-LL mismatch. The beta coefficient for DM and preoperative C7SVA was 0.49, t=3.16, p=0.003, preoperative PI-LL mismatch standardized beta coefficient was -0.4, t=-2.38, p=0.022, and preoperative T10-L2 sagittal cobb standard beta coefficient was -0.07, t=-0.46, p=0.645. No significant correlations were found for asthma, COPD, HTN, HLD, or cardiomyopathy.

Diagnosis of DM was found to correlate with pathologic C7SVA and significant PI-LL mismatch associated with ASD. HTN, HLD, cardiomyopathy, obesity, and pulmonary disease did not correlate with radiographic findings of sagittal imbalance.