Journal of neurosurgery. Spine最新文献

{"title":"Social determinants of health and outcome disparities in spine tumor surgery. Part 1: An analysis of 6.6 million nationwide admissions.","authors":"Oliver Y Tang, Cameron Ayala, Joshua R Feler, Rahul A Sastry, Ankush I Bajaj, Krissia M Rivera Perla, Arjun Ganga, Owen P Leary, Silas Monje, Joseph Madour, Deus J Cielo, Adetokunbo A Oyelese, Jared S Fridley, Steven A Toms, Ziya L Gokaslan, Patricia L Zadnik Sullivan","doi":"10.3171/2024.5.SPINE231081","DOIUrl":"10.3171/2024.5.SPINE231081","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Earlier research has demonstrated that social determinants of health (SDoH) impact neurosurgical access and outcomes, but these trends are less characterized for spine tumors relative to intracranial tumors. The authors aimed to elucidate the association between SDoH and outcomes for a nationwide cohort of spine tumor surgery admissions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The authors identified all admissions with a spine tumor diagnosis in the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 2002 to 2019. Four SDoH were analyzed: race and ethnicity, insurance, household income, and safety-net hospital (SNH) treatment. Hospitals in the top quartile of safety-net burden (in terms of percentage of patients receiving Medicaid or uninsured) were categorized as SNHs. Multivariable regression queried the association between 22 variables and 5 perioperative outcomes: mortality, discharge disposition, complications, length of stay (LOS), and hospitalization costs. Interaction term analysis with hospitalization year was used to assess longitudinal changes in outcome disparities. Finally, the authors constructed random forest machine learning models to assess the impact of SDoH variables on prognostic accuracy and to quantify the relative importance of predictors for disposition.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 6,593,392 total admissions with spine tumors, 219,380 (3.3%) underwent surgery. Non-White race (OR 0.80-0.91, p < 0.001) and nonprivate insurance (OR 0.76-0.83, p < 0.001) were associated with lower odds of receiving surgery. Among surgical admissions, presenting severity, including of myelopathy and plegia, was elevated among non-White, nonprivate insurance, and low-income admissions (all p < 0.001). Black race (OR 0.70, p < 0.001), Medicare (OR 0.70, p < 0.001), Medicaid (OR 0.90, p < 0.001), and lower income (OR 0.88-0.93, all p < 0.001) were associated with decreased odds of favorable discharge disposition. Increased LOS and costs were observed among non-White (+6%-10% in LOS and +5%-9% in costs, both p < 0.001) and Medicaid (+16% in LOS and +6% in costs, both p < 0.001) admissions. SNH treatment was also associated with higher mortality (OR 1.49, p < 0.001) and complication (OR 1.20, p < 0.001) rates. From 2002 to 2019, disposition improved annually for Medicaid patients (OR 1.03 per year, p = 0.022) but worsened for Black patients (OR 0.98 per year, p = 0.046). Random forest models identified household income as the most important predictor of discharge disposition.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>For spine tumor admissions, SDoH predicted surgical intervention, presenting severity, and perioperative outcomes. Over 2 decades, disparities improved for Medicaid patients but worsened for Black patients. Finally, SDoH significantly improve prognostic accuracy for outcomes after spine tumor surgery. Further study toward ameliorating patient disparities for this population is warranted.</p>","PeriodicalId":16562,"journal":{"name":"Journal of neurosurgery. Spine","volume":" ","pages":"677-688"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142108357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Letter to the Editor. Ergonomics and musculoskeletal disorders in female spine surgeons.","authors":"Maya Yamada, Satomi Nagamine, Miyuki Fukuda, Reiko Yoneyama, Tadatsugu Morimoto","doi":"10.3171/2024.6.SPINE24633","DOIUrl":"10.3171/2024.6.SPINE24633","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16562,"journal":{"name":"Journal of neurosurgery. Spine","volume":" ","pages":"814-815"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142043978","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Can titanium surface technology reduce cost for biologics in anterior lumbar interbody fusion?","authors":"Cameron Shirazi, Mark A Ochoa, Hani Malone, Amber Price, Jay I Kumar, Behrooz A Akbarnia, Gregory M Mundis, David Sing, Robert K Eastlack","doi":"10.3171/2024.5.SPINE231323","DOIUrl":"10.3171/2024.5.SPINE231323","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objective: &lt;/strong&gt;Advances in surface architecture and technology have made interbody fusion devices more bioactive, with the hope of facilitating the fusion process more successfully. The advent of these increasingly bioactive implants may reduce reliance on more expensive biologics that have previously been used to achieve high fusion rates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;A retrospective review of prospectively collected data (August 2018-December 2019) was conducted of consecutively performed anterior lumbar interbody fusions in which an acid-etched, nanosurface-modulated, titanium interbody device packed only with corticocancellous allograft chips and local blood was used. Minimum follow-up was 1 year, and inclusion required available imaging and outcome metrics preoperatively and at 1 year. Fusion and subsidence were assessed via CT scans and/or dynamic radiographs. Health-related quality-of-life measures (Oswestry Disability Index [ODI], visual analog scale [VAS] back/leg) were collected pre- and postoperatively.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;In total, 55 patients met inclusion criteria (1 year of follow-up, available imaging, and outcome metrics). A total of 69 lumbar levels were treated in these 55 patients. The mean age was 67 ± 12.1 years, with 47% female patients. Roughly one-third (35%) had previous spine surgery, and approximately one-tenth (9.1%) had prior spinal fusion. A total of 20.6% were treated at multiple levels (mean levels per patient 1.2, minimum 1, maximum 3). The mean preoperative patient-reported outcomes were as follows: ODI 39.71 ± 18.15, VAS back 6.49 ± 2.19, and VAS leg 5.41 ± 2.71. One year after surgery, the mean improvements in patient-reported outcomes (vs preoperative scores) were as follows: ODI -22.9 ± 13.08 (p &lt; 0.001), VAS back -3.75 ± 2.03 (p &lt; 0.001), VAS leg -3.73 ± 2.32 (p &lt; 0.001). All levels achieved fusion at 1 year postoperatively based on CT scans (65/69 levels) or dynamic radiographs (4/69 levels, change in score &lt; 5% on flexion-extension radiographs). Four of the 65 levels were assigned to the grade 3 category according to a CT-based grading system, meaning cranial and caudal endplate bone apposition to the implant on both surfaces with no clear intervertebral bone connection through or around the implant. Sixty-one of 65 were found to have contiguous intervertebral bone bridging and thus were assigned to grade 1 (n = 54) or grade 2 (n = 7). Low-grade graft subsidence (Marchi grade 0 or I) occurred in 9 levels (13.0%) and high-grade subsidence (Marchi grade II or III) in 4 levels (5.8%). No patients required reoperation at the level of anterior lumbar interbody fusion and no radiographic or clinical evidence of pedicle screw loosening or failure was observed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;The combination of advances in materials science and surface technology as demonstrated with a nanotechnology titanium cage resulted in the ability to obtain lumbar interbody fusion with al","PeriodicalId":16562,"journal":{"name":"Journal of neurosurgery. Spine","volume":" ","pages":"589-595"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142043975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Letter to the Editor. ChatGPT and the treatment of cervical radiculopathy.","authors":"Hinpetch Daungsupawong, Viroj Wiwanitkit","doi":"10.3171/2024.7.SPINE24789","DOIUrl":"10.3171/2024.7.SPINE24789","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16562,"journal":{"name":"Journal of neurosurgery. Spine","volume":" ","pages":"815-816"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142043977","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cranial sagittal vertical axis to the hip as the best sagittal alignment predictor of patient-reported outcomes at 2 years postoperatively in adult spinal deformity surgery.","authors":"Christopher S Lai, Sarthak Mohanty, Fthimnir M Hassan, Caroline E Taber, Jaques L Williams, Nathan J Lee, Zeeshan M Sardar, Ronald A Lehman, Lawrence G Lenke","doi":"10.3171/2024.5.SPINE231187","DOIUrl":"10.3171/2024.5.SPINE231187","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objective: &lt;/strong&gt;The objective was to discern whether the cranial sagittal vertical axis (CrSVA) can best predict the trajectory of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) at 2 years postoperatively.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;This was a retrospective cohort study of prospectively collected adult spinal deformity patient data. CrSVA relative to the sacrum, hip (CrSVA-H), knee, and ankle was measured as the horizontal distance to the vertical plumb line from the nasion-inion midpoint, with positive values indicating an anterior cranium. Standard sagittal alignment parameters were also collected. Outcome variables were PROMs as measured by Scoliosis Research Society-22r questionnaire (SRS-22r) total and subdomain scores and the Oswestry Disability Index. Pearson's correlation coefficients and univariate regressions were performed to investigate associations between predictors and PROMs. Two conceptual multivariable linear regression models for each 2-year outcome measure were built after adjusting for the impact of preoperative SRS-22r scores. Model 1 assessed pre- and postoperative alignment only relative to C2 and C7, while model 2 assessed alignment relative to C2 and C7 as well as the cranium.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;There was a total of 363 patients with 2 years of radiographic and PROM follow-up (68.0% female, mean [standard error of the mean] age 60.8 [0.78] years, BMI 27.5 [0.29], and total number of instrumented levels 12.8 [0.22]). CrSVA measures were significantly associated with the 2-year SRS-22r total and subdomain scores. In univariate regression, revision surgery, number of prior surgeries, frailty, BMI, total number of osteotomies, and lower baseline total SRS-22r score as well as postoperative sagittal alignment were significantly associated with worse 2-year SRS-22r scores. In multivariable regression, after adjusting for baseline SRS-22r scores, greater preoperative C2 to sacrum sagittal vertical axis (SVA) and C7 SVA were found to be the only independent predictors of 2-year total SRS-22r score (β = -0.011 [p = 0.0026] and β = 0.009 [p = 0.0211], respectively) when alignment was considered only relative to C2. However, in the subsequent model, CrSVA-H replaced C7 SVA as the independent factor driving postoperative SRS-22r total scores (β = -0.006, p &lt; 0.0001). That is, when the model included alignment relative to the cranium, C2, and C7, greater or more anterior CrSVA-H resulted in worse SRS-22r scores, while smaller or more posterior CrSVA-H resulted in better scores. Similar models for subdomains again found CrSVA-H to be the best predictor of function (β = -0.0095, p &lt; 0.0001), pain (β = -0.0091, p &lt; 0.0001), self-image (β = -0.0084, p = 0.0004), and mental health (β = -0.0059, p = 0.0026).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;In multivariable regression, C7 SVA was supplanted by CrSVA-H alignment as a significant, independent predictor of 2-year SRS-22r scores in patients with adult spinal defor","PeriodicalId":16562,"journal":{"name":"Journal of neurosurgery. Spine","volume":" ","pages":"774-783"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142043976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nonquantitative CT scan Hounsfield unit as a determinant of cervical spine bone density.","authors":"Rose Fluss, Riana Lo Bu, Rafael De la Garza Ramos, Saikiran G Murthy, Reza Yassari, Yaroslav Gelfand","doi":"10.3171/2024.5.SPINE24249","DOIUrl":"10.3171/2024.5.SPINE24249","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Hounsfield unit (HU) values measured using CT have been increasingly recognized to stand as a reliable corollary to dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scores in evaluating bone mineral density. The authors examined the correlation between cervical HU values and DEXA T- and Z-scores and determined novel cervical HU thresholds for determining bone quality classification.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>One hundred patients who underwent both cervical spine CT and DEXA, 85 patients who underwent both lumbar CT and DEXA, and 128 patients who underwent cervical and lumbar CT within 24 months at a single institution were included in this retrospective review. Two independent reviewers collected HU values from 3 cervical vertebral levels (C4-6) and 4 lumbar vertebral levels (L1-4), and the averaged values were used. Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis was performed to compare the association of cervical HU values with lumbar HU values and T- and Z-scores. The mean cervical HU values for each DEXA classification were calculated and compared. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were created to determine the threshold and its sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Cervical (C4-6) HU values and average, lumbar, and femoral T- and Z-scores had significant correlations (0.436 > r > 0.274, all p < 0.01). A strong positive correlation between cervical and lumbar HU values was found (r = 0.79, p < 0.01). The average cervical HU value of healthy patients was 361.2 (95% CI 337.1-385.3); of osteopenic patients, 312.1 (95% CI 290.3-333.8); and of osteoporotic patients, 288.4 (95% CI 262.6-314.3). There was a significant difference between the cervical HU values of healthy and osteopenic patients (p = 0.0134) and between those of healthy and osteoporotic patients (p = 0.0304). The cervical HU value of 340.98 was 73.5% specific and 57.9% sensitive for diagnosing osteopenia with an area under the ROC (AUROC) curve of 0.655. The cervical HU value of 326.5 was 88.9% specific and 63.2% sensitive for diagnosing osteoporosis with an AUROC curve of 0.749.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This is the second large-scale study and first with a patient population from the United States to show that HU values obtained using cervical CT were significantly correlated with bone quality based on DEXA T- and Z-scores and to establish a cervical HU threshold for determining bone quality classification. These results show that cervical HU values can and should be used to predict poor bone quality in surgical cervical spine patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":16562,"journal":{"name":"Journal of neurosurgery. Spine","volume":" ","pages":"803-812"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141992352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Predictors of patient satisfaction in the surgical treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy.","authors":"Alexander J Schupper, Joseph DiDomenico, S Harrison Farber, Sarah E Johnson, Erica F Bisson, Mohamad Bydon, Anthony L Asher, Domagoj Coric, Eric A Potts, Kevin T Foley, Michael Y Wang, Kai-Ming Fu, Michael S Virk, Christopher I Shaffrey, Oren N Gottfried, Christine Park, John J Knightly, Scott Meyer, Paul Park, Cheerag Upadhyaya, Mark E Shaffrey, Andrew K Chan, Luis M Tumialán, Dean Chou, Regis W Haid, Praveen V Mummaneni, Juan S Uribe, Jay D Turner","doi":"10.3171/2024.5.SPINE24326","DOIUrl":"10.3171/2024.5.SPINE24326","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) experience progressive neurological impairment. Surgical intervention is often pursued to halt neurological symptom progression and allow for recovery of function. In this paper, the authors explore predictors of patient satisfaction following surgical intervention for CSM.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This is a retrospective review of prospectively collected data from the multicenter Quality Outcomes Database. Patients who underwent surgical intervention for CSM with a minimum follow-up of 2 years were included. Patient-reported satisfaction was defined as a North American Spine Society (NASS) satisfaction score of 1 or 2. Patient demographics, surgical parameters, and outcomes were assessed as related to patient satisfaction. Patient quality of life scores were measured at baseline and 24-month time points. Univariate regression analyses were performed using the chi-square test or Student t-test to assess patient satisfaction measures. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess for factors predictive of postoperative satisfaction at 24 months.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 1140 patients at 14 institutions with CSM who underwent surgical intervention were included, and 944 completed a patient satisfaction survey at 24 months postoperatively. The baseline modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) score was 12.0 ± 2.8. A total of 793 (84.0%) patients reported satisfaction (NASS score 1 or 2) after 2 years. Male and female patients reported similar satisfaction rates (female sex: 47.0% not satisfied vs 48.5% satisfied, p = 0.73). Black race was associated with less satisfaction (26.5% not satisfied vs 13.2% satisfied, p < 0.01). Baseline psychiatric comorbidities, obesity, and length of stay did not correlate with 24-month satisfaction. Crossing the cervicothoracic junction did not affect satisfactory scores (p = 0.19), and minimally invasive approaches were not associated with increased patient satisfaction (p = 0.14). Lower baseline numeric rating scale neck pain scores (5.03 vs 5.61, p = 0.04) and higher baseline mJOA scores (12.28 vs 11.66, p = 0.01) were associated with higher satisfaction rates.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Surgical treatment of CSM results in a high rate of patient satisfaction (84.0%) at the 2-year follow-up. Patients with milder myelopathy report higher satisfaction rates, suggesting that intervention earlier in the disease process may result in greater long-term satisfaction.</p>","PeriodicalId":16562,"journal":{"name":"Journal of neurosurgery. Spine","volume":" ","pages":"611-618"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141992353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Letter to the Editor. The effectiveness of stereotactic radiosurgery for spinal leiomyosarcoma.","authors":"Mizuki Oyama, Yu Toda, Hirohito Hirata, Tomohito Yoshihara, Masatsugu Tsukamoto, Tadatsugu Morimoto","doi":"10.3171/2024.6.SPINE24738","DOIUrl":"10.3171/2024.6.SPINE24738","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16562,"journal":{"name":"Journal of neurosurgery. Spine","volume":" ","pages":"813"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141992351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cost-effectiveness of posterior lumbar interbody fusion and/or transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion for grade 1 lumbar spondylolisthesis: a 5-year Quality Outcomes Database study.","authors":"Timothy J Yee, Campbell Liles, Sarah E Johnson, Vardhaan S Ambati, Anthony M DiGiorgio, Nima Alan, Domagoj Coric, Eric A Potts, Erica F Bisson, John J Knightly, Kai-Ming G Fu, Kevin T Foley, Mark E Shaffrey, Mohamad Bydon, Dean Chou, Andrew K Chan, Scott Meyer, Anthony L Asher, Christopher I Shaffrey, Jonathan R Slotkin, Michael Y Wang, Regis W Haid, Steven D Glassman, Michael S Virk, Praveen V Mummaneni, Paul Park","doi":"10.3171/2024.5.SPINE24112","DOIUrl":"10.3171/2024.5.SPINE24112","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) and/or transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF), referred to as \"PLIF/TLIF,\" is a commonly performed operation for lumbar spondylolisthesis. Its long-term cost-effectiveness has not been well described. The aim of this study was to determine the 5-year cost-effectiveness of PLIF/TLIF for grade 1 degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis using prospective data collected from the multicenter Quality Outcomes Database (QOD).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Patients enrolled in the prospective, multicenter QOD grade 1 lumbar spondylolisthesis module were included if they underwent single-stage PLIF/TLIF. EQ-5D scores at baseline, 3 months, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months, and 60 months were used to calculate gains in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) associated with surgery relative to preoperative baseline. Healthcare-related costs associated with the index surgery and related reoperations were calculated using Medicare reimbursement-based cost estimates and validated using price transparency diagnosis-related group (DRG) charges and Medicare charge-to-cost ratios (CCRs). Cost per QALY gained over 60 months postoperatively was assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Across 12 surgical centers, 385 patients were identified. The mean patient age was 60.2 (95% CI 59.1-61.3) years, and 38% of patients were male. The reoperation rate was 5.7%. DRG 460 cost estimates were stable between our Medicare reimbursement-based models and the CCR-based model, validating the focus on Medicare reimbursement. Across the entire cohort, the mean QALY gain at 60 months postoperatively was 1.07 (95% CI 0.97-1.18), and the mean cost of PLIF/TLIF was $31,634. PLIF/TLIF was associated with a mean 60-month cost per QALY gained of $29,511. Among patients who did not undergo reoperation (n = 363), the mean 60-month QALY gain was 1.10 (95% CI 0.99-1.20), and cost per QALY gained was $27,591. Among those who underwent reoperation (n = 22), the mean 60-month QALY gain was 0.68 (95% CI 0.21-1.15), and the cost per QALY gained was $80,580.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>PLIF/TLIF for degenerative grade 1 lumbar spondylolisthesis was associated with a mean 60-month cost per QALY gained of $29,511 with Medicare fees. This is far below the well-established societal willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000, suggesting long-term cost-effectiveness. PLIF/TLIF remains cost-effective for patients who undergo reoperation.</p>","PeriodicalId":16562,"journal":{"name":"Journal of neurosurgery. Spine","volume":" ","pages":"596-603"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141992349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hounsfield units of vertebrae as a predictor of cervical deep paraspinal muscles atrophy and neck pain in degenerative cervical myelopathy.","authors":"Jia Li, Jianning Liu, Ranxu Yang, Yong Shen, Linfeng Wang","doi":"10.3171/2024.5.SPINE231330","DOIUrl":"10.3171/2024.5.SPINE231330","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study investigated the correlation between Hounsfield units (HU) of the cervical vertebrae and atrophy of the cervical deep paraspinal muscles, namely the multifidus and semispinalis cervicis (SCer), in patients diagnosed with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The authors retrospectively analyzed data from 136 patients aged 50-79 years (81 males and 55 females) who underwent surgical intervention for DCM. HU measurements of the cancellous bone in the C4 vertebra were acquired through standardized techniques. The authors evaluated fatty infiltration (FI); analyzed functional and vertebral cross-sectional area (CSA) of the multifidus and SCer at the C4-5, C5-6, and C6-7 levels; and analyzed the presence of Modic changes (MCs) and the incidence of axial neck pain.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Patients were categorized into group A (n = 56) with mean ± SD HU of 293.3 ± 15.6 and group B (n = 80) with mean ± SD HU of 389.5 ± 10.6. Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in postoperative clinical outcomes (p < 0.05); however, no statistically significant difference was observed (p > 0.05). Significant disparities in HU measurements and visual analog scale (VAS) scores for neck pain were observed between the groups (p < 0.05). The highest VAS score correlated with MCs-1 type (i.e., low signal on T1-weighted images and high signal on T2-weighted images). The functional CSA to vertebral CSA ratios of the multifidus and SCer in group A were markedly reduced compared to those of group B (p < 0.05). No significant difference was noted in functional CSA asymmetry between the groups for both muscles (p > 0.05). Lower HU measurements directly correlated with increased FI in the multifidus (p = 0.002) and SCer (p = 0.035). Furthermore, a strong positive association was found between the functional CSA to vertebral CSA ratio of the multifidus and HU values (p = 0.003), whereas HU measurements and VAS scores exhibited a negative correlation (p = 0.020).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Among those patients older than 50 years with DCM, those with decreased HU values demonstrated elevated FI levels in the multifidus and SCer muscles. Moreover, these patients presented with pronounced muscle atrophy, which correlated with axial neck pain. A significant relationship was also identified between MCs and diminished HU values.</p>","PeriodicalId":16562,"journal":{"name":"Journal of neurosurgery. Spine","volume":" ","pages":"726-733"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141992350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}