Patient outcomes in the operative and nonoperative management of high-grade spondylolisthesis in children.

BACKGROUND: The optimal management of high-grade spondylolisthesis in the growing child is controversial. Some authors have advocated for surgery in all cases regardless of symptoms. Surgical intervention results in a >10% risk of complications with increased risk of neurological injury associated with slip reduction maneuvers. There is a paucity of literature regarding nonoperative management in this setting. This study sought to obtain outcome measures in pediatric patients with high-grade spondylolisthesis managed either operatively or nonoperatively. METHODS: Database review was performed to identify patients with a high-grade (Meyerding grade III to V) spondylolisthesis managed either operatively or nonoperatively. Retrospective radiographic and chart review was performed. Patients were then contacted by phone to obtain current quality-of-life measurements using the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS)-30 questionnaire. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients were identified for inclusion in the study and 49 were contacted for 92% follow-up. Twenty-four patients were treated with operative intervention, and 25 patients were initially treated nonoperatively, but 10 went on to require surgical intervention. Mean age at presentation was 12.6 years (range, 8 to 17 y) and mean age at follow-up was 20.1 years (range, 10 to 29 y). There were no outcome differences between the groups. A more kyphotic slip angle was associated with worse SRS-30 outcome scores across all groups. In the nonoperative group, the slip angle was significantly larger in patients who failed conservative treatment (34 ± 17 degrees) than in those who remained nonsurgical at final follow-up (20 ± 14 degrees). Slip angle in the operative group was 27 ± 14 degrees. In surgical patients, an older age at surgery was associated with better SRS-30 outcome scores. CONCLUSIONS: Nonoperative management or "watchful waiting" of the minimally symptomatic or asymptomatic child with a high-grade spondylolisthesis is safe and does not lead to significant problems. Operative intervention for the symptomatic patient achieves similar long-term results compared with patients whose minimal symptoms do not warrant surgery. Delayed surgical intervention does not result in worse outcomes. Regardless of treatment modality, patients with a more kyphotic slip angle tend to have a poorer prognosis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Prevalence of adjacent segment disc degeneration in patients undergoing anterior cervical discectomy and fusion based on pre-operative MRI findings.

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a widely accepted surgical treatment for symptomatic cervical spondylosis. Some patients develop symptomatic adjacent segment degeneration, occasionally requiring further treatment. The cause and prevalence of adjacent segment degeneration and disease is unclear at present. Proponents for motion preserving surgery such as disc arthroplasty argue that this technique may decrease the "strain" on adjacent discs and thus decrease the incidence of symptomatic adjacent segment degeneration. The purpose of this study was to assess the pre-operative prevalence of adjacent segment degeneration in patients undergoing ACDF. A database review of three surgeons' practice was carried out to identify patients who had undergone a one- or two-level ACDF for degenerative disc disease. Patients were excluded if they were operated on for recent trauma, had an inflammatory arthropathy (for example, rheumatoid arthritis), or had previous spine surgery. The pre-operative MRI of each patient was reviewed and graded using a standardised methodology. One hundred and six patient MRI studies were reviewed. All patients showed some evidence of intervertebral disc degeneration adjacent to the planned operative segment(s). Increased severity of disc degeneration was associated with increased age and operative level, but was not associated with sagittal alignment. Disc degeneration was more common at levels adjacent to the surgical level than at non-adjacent segments, and was more severe at the superior adjacent level compared with the inferior adjacent level. These findings support the theory that adjacent segment degeneration following ACDF is due in part to the natural history of cervical spondylosis.

Adherence to perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis among orthopedic trauma patients.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to assess whether patients receive their antibiotic prophylaxis as prescribed. We also investigated what doses and durations of antibiotics are typically ordered, which patients actually receive antibiotics and factors causing the ordered antibiotic regimen to be altered. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of 205 patient charts and sent a national survey to all surgeon members of the Canadian Orthopaedic Trauma Society (COTS) about antibiotic prophylaxis in the setting of surgical treatment for closed fractures. RESULTS: In all, 93% (179 of 193) of patients received an appropriate preoperative dose of antibiotics, whereas less than 32% (58 of 181) of patients received their postoperative antibiotics as ordered. The most commonly stated reason for patients not receiving their postoperative antibiotics as ordered was patients being discharged before completing 3 postoperative doses. There was a 70% (39 of 56) response rate to the survey sent to COTS surgeons. A single dose of a first-generation cephalosporin preoperatively followed by 3 doses postoperatively is the most common practice among orthopedic trauma surgeons across Canada, but several surgeons give only preoperative prophylaxis. CONCLUSION: Adherence to multidose postoperative antibiotic regimens is poor. Meta-analyses have failed to demonstrate the superiority of multidose regimens over single-dose prophylaxis. Single-dose preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis may be a reasonable choice for most orthopedic trauma patients with closed fractures.