A retrospective analysis of perioperative complications of lateral approach lumbar interbody fusion in patients with prior abdominal surgery or a history of colonic inflammatory disease.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Lateral approaches for lumbar interbody fusion (LIF) allow for access to the lumbar spine and disc space by passing through a retroperitoneal corridor either pre- or trans-psoas. A contraindication for this approach is the presence of retroperitoneal scarring that may occur from prior surgical intervention in the retroperitoneal space or from inflammatory conditions with fibrotic changes and pose challenges for the mobilization and visualization needed in this approach. However, there is a paucity of evidence on the prevalence of surgical complications following lateral fusion surgery in patients with a history of abdominal surgery.

PURPOSE: The primary aim of this study is to describe the association between surgical complications following lateral interbody fusion surgery and prior abdominal surgical.

STUDY

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

PATIENT SAMPLE: Patients over the age of 18 who underwent lateral lumbar interbody fusion at a large, tertiary care center between 2011 and 2019 were included in the study.

OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome included medical, surgical, and thigh-related complications either in the intraoperative or 90-day postoperative periods. Additional outcome metrics included readmission rates, length of stay, and operative duration.

METHODS

The electronic health records of 250 patients were reviewed for demographic information, surgical data, complications, and readmission following surgery. The association of patient and surgical factors to complication rate was analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. Statistical analysis was performed using R statistical software (R, Vienna, Austria).

RESULTS

Of 250 lateral interbody fusion patients, 62.8% had a prior abdominal surgery and 13.8% had a history of colonic disease. The most common perioperative complication was transient thigh or groin pain/sensory changes (n=62, 24.8%). A multivariable logistic regression considering prior abdominal surgery, age, BMI, history of colonic disease, multilevel surgery, and the approach relative to psoas found no significant association between surgical complication rates and colonic disease (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.02-2.22) or a history of prior abdominal surgeries (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.20-1.55). Further, the invasiveness of prior abdominal surgeries showed no association with overall spine complication rate, lateral-specific complications, or readmission rates (p>.05).

CONCLUSION

Though retroperitoneal scarring is an important consideration for lateral approaches to the lumbar spine, this study found no association between lateral lumbar approach complication rates and prior abdominal surgery. Further study is needed to determine the impact of inflammatory colonic disease on lateral approach spine surgery.