A comparison of dysphagia rates between long-segment anterior versus posterior cervical fusion

The goal of this study was to compare rates of dysphagia and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) following long-segment (≥ 3 levels) anterior cervical spinal fusion (ACF) and posterior cervical spinal fusion (PCF) at 3 and 12 months postoperatively. PROs were also compared for patients with dysphagia versus those without dysphagia.

A prospectively collected quality improvement database was used to identify patients who had a long-segment cervical spinal fusion. Cohorts were divided into ACF and PCF groups. Eating Assessment Tool-10 scores and PROs were obtained for all patients preoperatively and at 3 and 12 months postoperatively to compare. Multivariate analysis was also performed to evaluate risk factors for dysphagia.

A total of 132 patients met the inclusion criteria, 77 of whom had undergone ACF and 55 of whom had undergone PCF. Dysphagia rates between ACF and PCF cohorts were similar at baseline (13.0% vs 18.2%, p = 0.4). New-onset dysphagia rates were also comparable at 3-month follow-up (39.7% vs 23.1%, p = 0.08) and 12-month follow-up (32.6% vs 32.4%, p > 0.99). Patients who underwent PCF had worse Neck Disability Index (NDI) scores at 3 months than did patients with ACF (13.67 ± 9.49 vs 10.55 ± 6.24, respectively; p = 0.03). There were significantly higher NDI scores for patients with dysphagia at 3 months in both the ACF and PCF groups and at 12 months for those in the PCF group. Analogously, EuroQol-5 Dimensions scores were worse for patients with dysphagia; however, this was only significant for patients in the ACF group at 3 months. There were no significant risk factors for the development of dysphagia found on multivariate analysis.

Similar rates and severity of dysphagia were seen following ACF and PCF at 3- and 12-month follow-up. This suggests that long-term dysphagia following cervical fusion surgery may be due to structural changes from the fusion rather than the surgical approach. However, the ACF cohort was significantly younger, and this may have partially accounted for the findings. PROs were also compared for patients with and without dysphagia, demonstrating worsened outcomes in some domains for patients who presented with dysphagia at 3- and 12-month follow-up. This suggests that dysphagia may be associated with a decreased quality of life after cervical fusion.