Similar complication rates seen with circumferential MIS and hybrid lumbar fusion

SAN DIEGO — Spine surgeons should try to place lateral interbody fusion instrumentation with a minimally invasive technique for optimal results in patients with adult spinal deformity, a presenter at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting said.

Khoi Duc Than, MD, of Portland, Ore. and colleagues sought to determine whether complication rates for patients with adult spinal deformity differed if they were treated with circumferential minimally invasive placement of instrumentation (cMIS) or with hybrid minimally invasive lateral interbody fusion and open posterior instrumentation and fusion (HYB).

“The overall complication and reoperation rates are similar between cMIS and HYB groups. But, given the decreased minor complications and neurological complications and operative complications in the cMIS group, if you can, you should try to place the instrumentation minimally invasively,” Than said.

Using the International Spine Study Group database, investigators analyzed outcomes for 38 patients in each treatment group who were not different radiologically or by other parameters preoperatively.

“The HYB group had greater blood loss, as well as greater operative time by about 2 hours, and those were statistically significant differences,” Than said.

There were fewer minor complications in the cMIS group.

“There was a lower occurrence of neurologic complications and a lower occurrence of operative complications” in the cMIS group, as well, Than said.

The types of complications seen most often in the study were of a radiologic nature in the cMIS group, such as pseudarthrosis, and of a neurologic nature in the HYB group. – by Susan M. Rapp

Reference:

Than KD, et al. Paper #165. Presented at: Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting; Sept. 24-28, 2016; San Diego.

Disclosure: Than reports no relevant financial disclosures.