European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society
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Dysphagia is the most commonly reported complication of annterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery. However, the incidence of dysphagia post-ACDF varies widely-partly attributable to differing outcome measures used to capture dysphagia. Our objective was to conduct a scoping review of the literature to quantify which dysphagia outcome measures have been employed post-ACDF and examine trends by study design, year, and location. ⋯ This scoping review of the literature highlights that nearly half of the ACDF dysphagia literature relies on unvalidated patient-reported outcome measures. The current understanding of the mechanism, timeline, and presentation of dysphagia post-ACDF are likely limited due to the metrics that are most commonly reported in the literature.
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Comorbidities are significant patient factors that contribute to outcomes after surgery. There is highly variable collection of this information across the literature. To help guide the systematic collection of best practice data, the Australian Spine Registry conducted an evidence map to investigate (i) what comorbidities are collected by spine registries, (ii) how they are collected and (iii) the compliance and completeness in collecting comorbidity data. ⋯ This evidence map identified variations in the methodology, data points and reporting of comorbidity collection in studies using spine registry data, with no consistent approach. A standardised set of comorbidities and data collection methods would encourage collaboration and data comparisons between patient cohorts and could facilitate improved patient outcomes following spine surgery by allowing data comparisons and predictive modelling of risk factors.
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Various factors have been examined in relation to cage subsidence risk, including cage material, cage geometry, bone mineral density, device type, surgical level, bone graft, and patient age. The present study aims to compare and synthesize the literature of both clinical and biomechanical studies to evaluate and present the factors associated with cage subsidence. ⋯ Cage subsidence increases the stress on the anterior fixation system and may cause biomechanical instability. Severe cage subsidence decreases the Cobb angle and intervertebral height, which may cause destabilization of the implant system, such as screw/plate loosening or breakage of the screw/plate. Various factors have been shown to influence the risk of cage subsidence. Examining clinical research alongside biomechanical studies offers a more comprehensive understanding of the subject.
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It is sometimes anticipated that patients with prior spine surgery will have a compromised outcome from future procedures. The purpose of this study was to compare TDR outcomes in patients with prior lumbar spine surgery to those with no previous surgery. ⋯ Diagnostic: individual cross-sectional studies with the consistently applied reference standard and blinding.
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The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of low muscle mass (LMM) in predicting 90-day and 12-month mortality after spinal tumor surgery. ⋯ Patients with LMM had higher rates of 90-day and 12-month mortality in our study, but this was not independent of other parameters such as performance status, hypoalbuminemia, or primary cancer type.