Effect of Preoperative Serum Transthyretin Levels on Postoperative Clinical Results and Morbidity in Patients Undergoing Spinal Surgery.

 This study aims to investigate the effects of preoperative serum transthyretin (TTR) levels on surgical success, pain scores, and postoperative morbidity.  Note that, in our clinic, 188 patients who were operated for spinal pathologies between June 2010 and January 2011 were included in this study. Blood samples were drawn from all patients on the morning of surgery and then serum TTR measurements were made. Demographic data of all patients were collected, and then their preoperative and postoperative neurological examinations, Karnofsky scores, visual analog scale (VAS) scores, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores, postoperative infection and wound healing status, hospital stay, and morbidity levels were recorded and TTR levels were compared.  When preoperative TTR level of patients were low, their Karnofsky scores decreased, ODI scores increased, the early postoperative VAS and late postoperative VAS values increased, and the length of hospital stay was increased. Moreover, in patients with low TTR levels, postoperative Karnofsky scores were lower, postoperative ODI levels were higher, postoperative early and late VAS scores were higher, hospital stays were longer, peroperative complication rates were higher, wound infection rates were higher, the delay in wound site healing was higher, and the morbidity rate was higher.  Consequently, preoperative low TTR levels have been reported to be an effective parameter that can be used to predict surgical results, wound infection and wound site healing status, perioperative complications, and morbidity in spinal surgery.