A new study published in Spine examines the reoperation rate for symptomatic non-unions for one-, two- and three-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusions.
The researchers used the Spine Implant Registry from Kaiser Permanente and examined ACDF patients from January 2009 to December 2012. The patients included in the study had at least two-year follow-up and the reoperations for symptomatic non-unions were identified in a chart review.
There were 1,054 patients included in the study. The reoperation rate for non-unions was:
1. 0.2 percent for one-level procedures
2. 2.9 percent for two-level procedures
3. 6.5 percent for three-level procedures
These patients had significantly lower reoperation rates two years after surgery for non-unions than the reported literature. "We think our data add to the literature and implant parameter (reoperations for nonunion rates) and provide useful information for patients, spine surgeons and healthcare providers," concluded the study authors.