Long-Term Follow-up Study of Dynesys Dynamic Stabilization: A Single Institution Experience from China

To describe the long-term outcomes of Dynesys dynamic stabilization combined with decompression.

This study included patients who underwent Dynesys dynamic stabilization plus decompression surgery at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University (Wuhan, China) from January 2008 through December 2014. Clinical efficacy was evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and SF-36 quality of life scale. Preoperative and final follow-up imaging was collected to measure the intervertebral disc height and range of motion of the surgical and adjacent segments. The incidence of complications, including adjacent segment disease (ASD) and internal fixation loosening, was recorded.

A total of 35 patients were included (mean follow-up: 122 ± 23 months). Follow-up results showed significant improvements in VAS, JOA score, ODI, and SF-36 scores at the final follow-up compared with preoperative values (all P < 0.05). Imaging results showed that at the final follow-up, no significant difference in operative-segment disc height was detected between preoperative and final follow-up measurements (P = 0.518), whereas the disc heights of the cranial and caudal adjacent segments significantly decreased (both P < 0.05). The range of motion of the surgical segment decreased compared with preoperative values , while the range of motion of the cranial and caudal adjacent segments increased compared with preoperative values (P < 0.05). The incidence of symptomatic ASD at the final follow-up was 8.6%.

Dynesys dynamic stabilization combined with decompression was associated with clinical improvement and partial preservation of operative-segment mobility during long-term follow-up.