A new study published in the Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques examines adjacent segment degeneration and disease after lumbar spinal fusion.
The researchers examined the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and CINAHL databases for articles examining lumbar spinal fusion adjacent segment degeneration and disease.
There were 31 articles included in the meta-analysis with 4,206 patients assessed. Here are five key notes on the findings:
1. There was overall adjacent segment degeneration incidence was 5.9 percent per year; adjacent segment disease was 1.8 percent per year.
2. The adjacent segment degeneration is higher with more motion segments, according to the study abstract.
3. These characteristics didn't increase risk of adjacent segment disease and adjacent segment degeneration:
• Sex
• Age
• Segmental sagittal alignment
• Fusion methods
• Instruments
4. The radiographic adjacent segment degeneration didn't show strong correlation with the clinical outcomes.
5. The researchers concluded, "The prevalence of ASDeg and ASDis has been variably reported in the literature and fusion length is the factor most significantly associated with adjacent segment pathology."