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Intravenous and local steroid use in the management of dysphagia after anterior cervical spine surgery: a systematic review of prospective randomized controlled trails (RCTs)

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Abstract

Purpose

To conduct a high-level systematic review of the literature to evaluate intravenous and local steroid use in the management of dysphagia after anterior cervical spine surgery.

Methods

We searched the database PubMed, EMBASE, Clinical key, the Cochrane library and Wiley Online Library without time restriction using the terms ‘dysphagia’ or ‘odynophagia’ or ‘swallowing disorder,’ ‘steroid,’ ‘anterior cervical spine surgery.’ Randomized controlled trails (RCTs) were selected, and effects of intravenous and local steroids were investigated from these studies.

Results

The initial search yielded 67 citations. Six of these studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. All of them were prospective RCTs which were evaluated as level 1 evidence. One study found that perioperative intravenous steroid use is not effective in reducing severity of early postoperative dysphagia after one-level ACDF, while five studies suggested that perioperative intravenous and local steroid use seemed to be more effective on reducing incidence and severity of early dysphagia after multilevel ACSS. One double-blinded study still found that locally administered depomedrol on a collagen sponge significantly decreases early dysphagia incidence and severity after ACSS using low-dose BMP.

Conclusions

Perioperative intravenous and local steroid use could reduce incidence and severity of early dysphagia after ACSS postoperatively, especially for multilevel surgeries. For the patients underwent revision surgery or at high risk for pseudarthrosis having to use BMP during surgery, locally administered depomedrol on a collagen sponge was suggested to decrease early dysphagia incidence and severity after ACSS.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Jingwei Liu and Yiqi Zhang have contributed equally to this work, and they are the co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, GongTiNanLu 8#, Chao-Yang District, Beijing, 100020, China

    Jingwei Liu, Yiqi Zhang, Yong Hai, Nan Kang & Bo Han

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  1. Jingwei Liu
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  2. Yiqi Zhang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yong Hai.

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We do not have a financial or personal relationship with a third party. On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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Liu, J., Zhang, Y., Hai, Y. et al. Intravenous and local steroid use in the management of dysphagia after anterior cervical spine surgery: a systematic review of prospective randomized controlled trails (RCTs). Eur Spine J 28, 308–316 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-018-5840-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-018-5840-5

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