Dexamethasone, a steroid, delayed fusions but did not significantly influence long term outcomes. Surgeons often use it to relieve swallowing and breathing problems, but concerns have arisen that the anti-inflammatory would hinder fusion, a proinflammatory process.
A study, led by Shiveindra Jeyamohan, MD, of Albany Medical Center in New York, looked at 118 patients with cervical discectomy and fusion procedures. They found 40 percent of the dexamethasone patients had dysphagia, compared with 72.5 percent of placebo patients.
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