• Allen Lin Ho, Paymon Garakani Rezaii, Arjun Vivek Pendharkar, Eric Scott Sussman, Anand Veeravagu, John Kevin Ratliff, and Atman Mukesh Desai.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
• Spine. 2019 Nov 1; 44 (21): E1281-E1288.

Study DesignA retrospective analysis of national longitudinal database.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the outcomes and cost-effectiveness of operating microscope utilization in anterior cervical corpectomy (ACC).Summary Of Background DataThe operating microscope allows for superior visualization and facilitates ACC with less manipulation of tissue and improved decompression of neural elements. However, many groups report no difference in outcomes with increased cost associated with microscope utilization.MethodsA longitudinal database (MarketScan) was utilized to identify patients undergoing ACC with or without microscope between 2007 and 2016. Propensity matching was performed to normalize differences between the two cohorts. Outcomes and costs were subsequently compared.ResultsA total of 11,590 patients were identified for the "macroscopic" group, while 4299 patients were identified for the "microscopic" group. For the propensity-matched analysis, 4298 patients in either cohort were successfully matched according to preoperative characteristics. Hospital length of stay was found to be significantly longer in the macroscopic group than the microscopic group (1.86 nights vs. 1.56 nights, P < 0.0001). Macroscopic ACC patients had an overall higher rate of readmissions [30-day: 4.2% vs. 3.2%, odds ratio (OR) = 0.76 (0.61-0.96), P = 0.0223; 90-day: 7.0% vs. 5.9%, OR = 0.82 (0.69-0.98), P = 0.0223]. Microscopic ACC patients had a higher rate of discharge to home [86.6% vs. 92.5%, OR = 1.91 (1.65-2.21), P < 0.0001] and lower rates of new referrals to pain management [1.0% vs. 0.4%, OR = 0.42 (0.23-0.74), P = 0.0018] compared with macroscopic ACC. Postoperative complication rate was not found to be significantly different between the groups. Finally, total initial admission charges were not significantly different between the macroscopic and microscopic groups ($30,175 vs. $29,827, P = 0.9880).ConclusionThe present study suggests that the use of the operating microscope for ACC is associated with decreased length of stay, readmissions, and new referrals to pain management, as well as higher rate of discharge to home.Level Of Evidence3.

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