The influence of costal resection on pulmonary function after total en bloc spondylectomy for spine tumor

Total en bloc spondylectomy (TES) is one of the surgical procedures which has been recognized as a complete resection for spine tumors. Although the surgery achieves favorable local control for solitary spinal lesion, performing the procedure in the thoracic spine requires circumferential dissection around the vertebral body and bilateral rib resections which might result in decline of pulmonary function postoperatively. This study aimed to clarify whether the number of rib resections negatively impacts pulmonary function after the procedure.

This study included 31 patients who underwent vertebrectomy (17 males and 14 females) with a mean age of 54.2 years. Pulmonary function testing (PFT) was performed before surgery and at 1 month, 6 months, and 1 year postoperative visits. Patients with restrictive disorders such as space occupying lesions in the lung, obstructive problems such as a history of asthma, and smoking history were excluded from this study. Associations between the number of rib resections and PFT data were analyzed based on the resected level of the thoracic spine.

There was a significant decrease in forced vital capacity (FVC) at 1 month (72% of preoperative value), followed by gradual recovery at 6 months (89%) and 1 year (90%). The percentage of predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s remained stable. Patients who underwent three pairs of rib resections showed a significant decrease in the FVC (83.5% of the preoperative value) and FEV1 (82.1% of the preoperative value) compared with one or two pairs of rib resections.

FVC decreased 1 month after vertebrectomy and returned to 90% of preoperative value at 1 year postoperatively. Three pairs of rib resections showed a significant decrease in FVC, suggesting the influence of a greater numbers of rib resections on pulmonary function.