A new study published in Spine Deformity examines the revision rate after adult spinal deformity surgery.
The researchers used Medicare and private payer records from a national insurance database to find patients who underwent multilevel spinal fusion for adult spinal deformity. There were 1,879 patients from the Medicare sample included and 803 patients from the private payer sample.
Here are five key findings from the study:
1. The revision rate among Medicare patients was:
• Year 1: 6 percent
• Year 2: 6 percent
• Year 3: 4 percent
• Year 4: 3 percent
2. For patients with private insurance, the revision rate after surgery was:
• Year 1: 10 percent
• Year 2: 3 percent
• Year 3: 2 percent
• Year 4: 1 percent
3. There was an 18 percent overall revision rate four years after surgery pooling patients from both Medicare and private payer databases.
4. The one-year revision rate was inversely proportional to the patient's age for all patients, according to the study.
5. Across age groups, the revision rate equalized over time and there was no difference postoperatively four years after surgery.
"Despite improvements in technique and clinical outcome, an 18 percent revision rate at four years postoperatively is not sustainable from either a clinical or an economic standpoint," concluded the study authors.