Analysis of Postoperative Thoracolumbar Spine Infections in a Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial Using the Centers for Disease Control Surgical Site Infection Criteria.

Introduction: Wound infections following spinal surgery place a high toll on both the patient and the healthcare system. Although several large series studies have examined the incidence and distribution of spinal wound infection, the applicability of these studies varies greatly since nearly every study is either retrospective and/or lacks standard inclusion criteria for defining surgical site infection. To address this void, we present results from prospectively gathered thoracolumbar spine surgery data for which the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) criteria were stringently applied to define a surgical site infection (SSI).

Appropriateness of Twenty-four-Hour Antibiotic Prophylaxis After Spinal Surgery in Which a Drain Is Utilized: A Prospective Randomized Study.

Background: Wound drains that are left in place for a prolonged period of time have a higher rate of bacterial contamination. Following spinal surgery, a drain is often left in place for a longer period of time if it maintains a high output. Given the major consequences of an infection following spinal surgery and the lack of data with regard to the use of antibiotics and drains, we performed a study of patients with a drain following spinal surgery to compare infection rates between those who were treated with antibiotics for twenty-four hours and those who received antibiotics for the duration for which the drain was in place.

Cost analysis of anterior-posterior circumferential fusion and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion.

Background Context: Although lumbar interbody fusion has long been a common procedure in the practice of spine surgery, focus on the technological development has produced the relatively new procedure of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). This procedure is often available to surgeons as an alternative to anterior-posterior circumferential fusion (AP fusion), and both procedures have been demonstrated to be clinically equivalent at up to 5 years after surgery. In the context of clinical equipoise, it is unknown which procedure is more economically advantageous.

Retrospective cost analysis of cervical laminectomy and fusion versus cervical laminoplasty in the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Background: Cervical laminoplasty (CLP) and posterior cervical laminectomy and fusion (CLF) are well-established surgical procedures used in the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). In situations of clinical equipoise, an influential factor in procedural decision making could be the economic effect of the chosen procedure. The object of this study is to compare and analyze the total hospital costs and charges pertaining to patients undergoing CLP or CLF for the treatment of CSM.

Cost-utility analysis modeling at 2-year follow-up for cervical disc arthroplasty versus anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: A single-center contribution to the randomized controlled trial.

Background: Patients with cervical disc herniations resulting in radiculopathy or myelopathy from single level disease have traditionally been treated with Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF), yet Cervical Disc Arthroplasty (CDA) is a new alternative. Expert suggestion of reduced adjacent segment degeneration is a promising future result of CDA. A cost-utility analysis of these procedures with long-term follow-up has not been previously reported.

Comparative analysis of surgical approaches and osteotomies for the correction of sagittal plane spinal deformity in adults.

Study Design: A retrospective review.

Objective: To compare the radiographical and clinical profiles between 2 surgical approaches for the correction of sagittal plane spinal deformity.

Summary Of Background Data: Sagittal plane decompensation is the radiographical parameter that carries the greatest impact on adverse outcomes.