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Overall complication rates low for anterior lumbar spine surgery
The risks of an anterior approach to lumbar spine surgery have yet to be fully explored, but researchers reported recently that the most common surgery-related complications occurred in only 1% to 3% of patients.
The researchers conducted a systematic review of available literature to identify articles published between January 1992 and December 2013 that discussed complications associated with anterior lumbar spine surgery. A total of 76 articles comprising 11,410 patients who underwent arthrodesis and/or arthroplasty via laparoscopic, mini-open and open techniques met the inclusion criteria for the final study.
An overall complication rate across all of the studies was 14.1%, with intraoperative and postoperative complication rates of 9.1% and 5.2%, respectively, according to the researchers.
Venous injury (3.2%) and retrograde ejaculation (2.7%) were the two most common complications related to the procedures. Neurologic injury (2%), prosthesis-related (2%), postoperative ileus (1.4%), superficial infection (1%) and others (1.3%) rounded out the list of complications for the procedure.
Only 3% of the patients in all of the studies required revision surgery or reoperation, according to the researchers.
The researchers found complication types were at times directly influenced by surgical approaches, techniques and implants. For example, anterior lumbar surgeries utilizing a transperitoneal approach were associated with significantly higher rates of retrograde ejaculation and borderline higher rates of postoperative ileus. – by Robert Linnehan
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.