The study authors examined the New York State Inpatient Database from 2008 to 2011 to examine patients 21 years or older who underwent spinal fusion for deformity correction. There were 3,751 cases included in the study. The researchers found:
1. Surgeons used BMP in the initial surgery at a 27.6 percent rate for adult spinal deformity.
2. The reoperation rate for pseudarthrosis in patients who underwent posterior fusion longer than eight levels was 23.4 percent.
3. Among patients who underwent spinal fusion at more than eight levels, the reoperation rate for pseudarthrosis with BMP use at the index surgery was 5 percent; when BMP wasn’t used it was 22.9 percent.
4. When the surgeons used BMP, the risk of reoperation decreased 7.5-fold for adult spinal deformity patients.
5. The researchers concluded that BMP caused a decrease in the reoperation rates.
“If subsequent unnecessary hospital stays can be avoided, the economics of BMP use should be re-examined,” concluded the study authors.
More articles on spine surgery:
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Open vs. minimally invasive TLIF: 6 key points for spine surgery patients
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