Improved postoperative course following modified segmental instrumentation and posterior spinal fusion for idiopathic...

Postoperative course following posterior spinal fusion was reviewed and compared for 31 patients who underwent Harrington distraction instrumentation and 30 patients who underwent modified segmental spinal instrumentation (SSI). The SSI patients, on average, received oral feedings 1 day earlier (p less than 0.046), walked 5 days earlier (p less than 0.001), and were discharged 5 days sooner (p less than 0.001) than patients undergoing Harrington distraction. Despite this more active postoperative course, the SSI patients did not require more analgesics or narcotics. When the hospital costs were compared, there was a savings of $2,825 for the average patient undergoing SSI.