Abstract
Purpose
The surgical approach to adult spine deformities is complex and presents a high incidence of complications.
Methods
We report here a prospective consecutive case series analysis of 20 patients submitted to posterior correction and instrumented fusion for adult degenerative scoliosis. Clinical outcomes were assessed by self-reported measures. Pre-operative and post-operative complications were analysed during a mean 30-month follow-up period.
Results
Eleven patients (55 %) presented pre-operative or post-operative complications. Fifteen different complications occurred, six in the early pre-operative period and nine during follow-up period: ten of these complications occurred in patients who underwent a previous surgery for spine disease.
Conclusions
The clinical improvement at the final follow-up resulted as statistically significant only for the group of patients exposed to posterior fusion without interbody fusion. The observations reported here have to be considered for a shared decision-making in the management of adult scoliosis.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Dr. Cristiana Griffoni for her helpful contribution in manuscript editing and Carlo Piovani for his helpful collaboration in patients’ images storage and editing.
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Bròdano, G.B., Terzi, S., Gasbarrini, A. et al. Do benefits overcome the risks related to surgery for adult scoliosis? A detailed analysis of a consecutive case series. Eur Spine J 22 (Suppl 6), 795–802 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-013-3031-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-013-3031-y