• Aleksander P Mika, Colby Wollenman, Anthony M Steinle, Hani Chanbour, Wilson Vaughan, Andrew Croft, Julian Lugo-Pico, Scott L Zuckerman, Amir M Abtahi, and Byron F Stephens.
• Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
• Spine. 2023 Nov 15; 48 (22): 159916051599-1605.

Study DesignRetrospective review.ObjectiveThe aim was to determine if preoperative spinal instability neoplastic scores (SINSs) and Tokuhashi prognostication scores differed in patients receiving surgical care before and during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Summary Of Background DataThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused delays in scheduling nonemergent surgeries. Delay in presentation and/or surgical treatment for oncology patients with metastatic spinal disease could result in progression of the disease, which can complicate surgical care and worsen patient outcomes.Materials And MethodsRetrospective review of electronic medical records between March 1, 2019 and March 1, 2021 at a tertiary medical center was performed to identify patients who underwent surgery for metastatic spine disease. Primary spinal tumors were excluded. Patients were separated into two groups base on their surgery date: before the COVID-19 pandemic (March 1, 2019-February 29, 2020) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 1, 2020-March 1, 2021). Primary outcomes included SINS and Tokuhashi scores. A variety of statistical tests were performed to compare the groups.ResultsFifty-two patients who underwent surgery before the COVID-19 pandemic were compared to 41 patients who underwent surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a significant difference between the before and during groups with respect to SINS (9.31±2.39 vs . 11.00±2.74, P =0.002) and Tokuhashi scores (9.27±2.35 vs . 7.88±2.85, P =0.012). Linear regression demonstrated time of surgery (before or during COVID-19 restrictions) was a significant predictor of SINS (β=1.55, 95% CI: 0.42-2.62, P =0.005) and Tokuhashi scores (β=-1.41, 95% CI: -2.49 to -0.34, P =0.010).ConclusionsPatients with metastatic spinal disease who underwent surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic had higher SINS, lower Tokuhashi scores and similar Skeletal Oncology Research Group scores compared to patients who underwent surgery before the pandemic. This suggests the pandemic has impacted the instability of disease at presentation in patients with spinal metastases, but has not impacted surgical prognosis, as there were no differences in Skeletal Oncology Research Group scores and the difference in Tokuhashi scores is most likely not clinically significant.Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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