Aims. Psychoeducative prehabilitation to optimize surgical outcomes is relatively novel in spinal fusion surgery and, like most rehabilitation treatments, they are rarely well specified. Spinal fusion patients experience anxieties perioperatively about pain and immobility, which might prolong hospital length of stay (LOS). The aim of this prospective cohort study was to determine if a Preoperative Spinal Education (POSE) programme, specified using the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System (RTSS) and designed to normalize expectations and reduce anxieties, was safe and reduced LOS. Methods. POSE was offered to 150 prospective patients over ten months (December 2018 to November 2019) Some chose to attend (Attend-POSE) and some did not attend (DNA-POSE). A third independent retrospective group of 150 patients (mean age 57.9 years (SD 14.8), 50.6% female) received surgery prior to POSE (pre-POSE). POSE consisted of an in-person 60-minute education with accompanying literature, specified using the RTSS as psychoeducative treatment components designed to optimize cognitive/affective representations of thoughts/feelings, and normalize anxieties about surgery and its aftermath. Across-group age, sex, median LOS, perioperative complications, and readmission rates were assessed using appropriate statistical tests. Results. In all, 65 (43%) patients (mean age 57.4 years (SD 18.2), 58.8% female) comprised the Attend-POSE, and 85 (57%) DNA-POSE (mean age 54.9 years (SD 15.8), 65.8% female). There were no significant between-group differences in age, sex, surgery type, complications, or readmission rates. Median LOS was statistically different across Pre-POSE (5 days ((interquartile range (IQR) 3 to 7)), Attend-POSE (3 (2 to 5)), and DNA-POSE (4 (3 to 7)), (p = 0.014). Pairwise comparisons showed statistically significant differences between Pre-POSE and Attend-POSE LOS (p = 0.011), but not between any other group comparison. In the Attend-POSE group, there was significant change toward greater surgical preparation, procedural familiarity, and less anxiety. Conclusion. POSE was associated with a significant reduction in LOS for patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery. Patients reported being better prepared for, more familiar, and less anxious about their surgery. POSE did not affect complication or readmission rates, meaning its inclusion was safe. However, uptake (43%) was disappointing and future work should explore potential barriers and challenges to attending POSE. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2022;3(2):135–144

Aims

The aims of this study were to determine the rates of surgical complications, reoperations, and readmissions following herniated lumbar disc surgery, and to investigate the impact of sociodemographic factors and comorbidity on the rate of such unfavourable events.

Aims. The number of patients undergoing surgery for degenerative cervical radiculopathy has increased. In many countries, public hospitals have limited capacity. This has resulted in long waiting times for elective treatment and a need for supplementary private healthcare. It is uncertain whether the management of patients and the outcome of treatment are equivalent in public and private hospitals. The aim of this study was to compare the management and patient-reported outcomes among patients who underwent surgery for degenerative cervical radiculopathy in public and private hospitals in Norway, and to assess whether the effectiveness of the treatment was equivalent. Methods. This was a comparative study using prospectively collected data from the Norwegian Registry for Spine Surgery. A total of 4,750 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for degenerative cervical radiculopathy and were followed for 12 months were included. Case-mix adjustment between those managed in public and private hospitals was performed using propensity score matching. The primary outcome measure was the change in the Neck Disability Index (NDI) between baseline and 12 months postoperatively. A mean difference in improvement of the NDI score between public and private hospitals of ≤ 15 points was considered equivalent. Secondary outcome measures were a numerical rating scale for neck and arm pain and the EuroQol five-dimension three-level health questionnaire. The duration of surgery, length of hospital stay, and complications were also recorded. Results. The mean improvement from baseline to 12 months postoperatively of patients who underwent surgery in public and private hospitals was equivalent, both in the unmatched cohort (mean NDI difference between groups 3.9 points (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.2 to 5.6); p < 0.001) and in the matched cohort (4.0 points (95% CI 2.3 to 5.7); p < 0.001). Secondary outcomes showed similar results. The duration of surgery and length of hospital stay were significantly longer in public hospitals. Those treated in private hospitals reported significantly fewer complications in the unmatched cohort, but not in the matched cohort. Conclusion. The clinical effectiveness of surgery for degenerative cervical radiculopathy performed in public and private hospitals was equivalent 12 months after surgery. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2023;105-B(1):64–71

Children undergoing posterior spinal fusion (PSF) for neuromuscular and syndromic scoliosis were admitted to the paediatric intensive care (PIC) until about 6 years ago, at which time we created a new unit, a hospital floor-based spinal high-dependency unit-plus (SHDU-plus), in response to frequent bed-shortage cancellations. This study compares postoperative management on PIC with HDU-plus for these non-hospital floor suitable children with syndromic and neuromuscular scoliosis undergoing PSF. Retrospective review of 100 consecutive children with syndromic and neuromuscular scoliosis undergoing PSF between June 2016 and January 2022. Inclusion criteria were: 1) diagnosis of syndromic or neuromuscular scoliosis, 2) underwent PSF, 3) not suitable for immediate postoperative hospital floor-based care. Exclusion criteria were children with significant cardio-respiratory co-morbidity requiring PIC postoperatively. 55 patients were managed postoperatively on PIC and 45 on SHDU-plus. No significant difference between groups was found with respect to age, weight, ASA grade, preoperative Cobb angles, operative duration, number of levels fused and estimated blood loss. 4 patients in the PIC group and 1 in the SHDU-plus group were readmitted back to PIC or HDU following step-down to the hospital floor. Average length of stay was 2 days on PIC and 1 day on SHDU-plus. Average total length of hospital stay was 16.5 days in the PIC group and 10.5 days in the HDU-plus group. 19 (35%) patients developed complications in the PIC group, compared to 18 (40%) in SHDU-plus. Mean specialist unit charge per day was less on SHDU-plus compared with PIC. There were no bed-shortage cancellations in the SHDU-plus group, compared to 11 in the PIC group. For children with neuromuscular or syndromic scoliosis undergoing PSF and deemed not suitable for post-operative care on the hospital floor, creation of a SHDU-plus was associated with fewer readmissions back to PIC or HDU, shorter hospital stays, an equivalent complication rate, significant cost-saving and fewer cancellations. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level III

Aims. With resumption of elective spine surgery services in the UK following the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted a multicentre British Association of Spine Surgeons (BASS) collaborative study to examine the complications and deaths due to COVID-19 at the recovery phase of the pandemic. The aim was to analyze the safety of elective spinal surgery during the pandemic. Methods. A prospective observational study was conducted from eight spinal centres for the first month of operating following restoration of elective spine surgery in each individual unit. Primary outcome measure was the 30-day postoperative COVID-19 infection rate. Secondary outcomes analyzed were the 30-day mortality rate, surgical adverse events, medical complications, and length of inpatient stay. Results. In all, 257 patients (128 males) with a median age of 54 years (2 to 88) formed the study cohort. The mean number of procedures performed from each unit was 32 (16 to 101), with 118 procedures (46%) done as category three prioritization level. The majority of patients (87%) were low-medium “risk stratification” category and the mean length of hospital stay was 5.2 days. None of the patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection, nor was there any mortality related to COVID-19 during the 30-day follow-up period, with 25 patients (10%) having been tested for symptoms. Overall, 32 patients (12%) developed a total of 34 complications, with the majority (19/34) being grade 1 to 2 Clavien-Dindo classification of surgical complications. No patient required postoperative care in an intensive care setting for any unexpected complication. Conclusion. This study shows that safe and effective planned spinal surgical services can be restored avoiding viral transmission, with diligent adherence to national guidelines and COVID-19-secure pathways tailored according to the resources of the individual spinal units. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2021;2(12):1096–1101

Aims. The timing of surgical fixation in spinal fractures is a contentious topic. Existing literature suggests that early stabilization leads to reduced morbidity, improved neurological outcomes, and shorter hospital stay. However, the quality of evidence is low and equivocal with regard to the safety of early fixation in the severely injured patient. This paper compares complication profiles between spinal fractures treated with early fixation and those treated with late fixation. Methods. All patients transferred to a national tertiary spinal referral centre for primary surgical fixation of unstable spinal injuries without preoperative neurological deficit between 1 July 2016 and 20 October 2017 were eligible for inclusion. Data were collected retrospectively. Patients were divided into early and late cohorts based on timing from initial trauma to first spinal operation. Early fixation was defined as within 72 hours, and late fixation beyond 72 hours. Results. In total, 86 patients underwent spinal surgery in this period. Age ranged from 16 to 88 years. Mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) was higher in the early stabilization cohort (p = 0.020). Age was the sole significant independent variable in predicting morbidity on multiple regression analysis (p < 0.003). There was no significant difference in complication rates based on timing of surgical stabilization (p = 0.398) or ISS (p = 0.482). Conclusion. Our results suggest that these patients are suitable for early appropriate care with spinal precautions and delayed definitive surgical stabilization. Earlier surgery conferred no morbidity benefit and had no impact on length of stay. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(5):627–631

Introduction. Scoliosis surgery is a life-changing procedure, but not devoid of perioperative complications. Often patients' scoring systems do not cover their real-life needs, including return to pre-surgery activity. Return to school, physical education (PE) is an important indirect marker of recovery. Although anterior spinal fusion (ASF) may have advantages, compared to posterior spinal fusion (PSF), because of motion-saved segments, there is a paucity of literature about post-operative return to school/PE in the compared groups. Aim. To determine the recovery time for patients with scoliosis who underwent anterior spinal fusion (ASF) and posterior spinal fusion (PSF). Design. Prospective cohort. Methods. Patients undergoing Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) surgery from 2018–2019, were examined. We excluded no-AIS and over 18y patients. The Scoliosis Sports Survey validated questionnaire was administered post-operatively regarding return to school, PE and other physical activities. ASF and PSF groups were subcategorised into: Selective Anterior Thoracic Fusion (SATF), Thoracolumbar Fusion (TLF), Short Posterior Spinal Fusion (SPSF) and Long Posterior Spinal Fusion (LPSF) procedures. Hospital length of stay (HLOS) and ICU LOS were recorded. Results. A total of 81 patients were contacted and 43 responded to the survey. The different procedures, return to school / PE, HLOS / ICU LOS, costoplasty are all analysed as shown below in Table 1. Conclusions. Anterior and posterior fusions had similar return to school rates at 1–3 months. The TLF and 2-stages groups returned to school the quickest, whilst the SATF had the longest return time. PSF patients returned to PE faster than ASF. Costoplasty, did not affect return time to school and PE. Further research assessing shorter fusions benefits should be conducted. For any figures or tables, please contact the authors directly

Introduction. Thoracic wall surgery can cause severe pain and inhibition of coughing with effects. (1) Various local anaesthetic (LA) techniques have been tried successfully to mitigate the use of opioids alone. We believe this is the first time that a serratus plane block using an epidural catheter (SABER)has been studied in anterior spinal fusion (ASF) procedures. Our aim was to ascertain how it would affect ASF compared to gold standard posterior spinal fusion (PSF) surgery. Materials and Methods. We identified 43 patients from the years 2017 to 2019. 24 had ASF and 19 had PSF. Detailed data were collected on local anaesthetic infusion (LAI) SaBER, mean pain scores(MPS), morphine, chirocaine usage and hospital length of stay (HLOS). We divided the patients into 4 groups: Short PSF (SPSF), Long PSF (LPSF), Thoracic anterior fusion (TA) and Thoracolumbar anterior fusion (TLA) surgery. 4 patients in the SPSF and 4 in the LPSF group had LAI because they had a costoplasty. All patients in the anterior group had SaBER. Results. Mean morphine usage was higher in the ASF group. Mean LA usage was lowest in the TLA and highest in the LPSF group (see table). 12 and 24 hour MPS were lower in both anterior groups compared to posterior. Mean HLOS was similar in all groups. Conclusion. Despite painful costoplasties in the anterior group, LAI enabled lower MPS overall and similar HLOS between PSF and ASF groups. Consequently, ASF (with fewer fusion levels) can replace equivalent PSF with resultant less stiffness and increased mobility. Reduction in MPS may be further improved by investigating detailed protocols whereby boluses of LA are given in addition to LAI. This may lead to morphine sparing in the anterior group as has been seen in other studies on thoracic wall procedures. (2). For any figures or tables, please contact the authors directly

Introduction. The placement of a large interbody implant allows for a larger surface area for fusion, vis a vis, via retroperitoneal direct anterior, antero-lateral and lateral approaches. At the same time, spinal navigation facilitates a minimally invasive fixation for inserting posterior pedicle screws. We report on the first procedures in the United Kingdom performed by a single-surgeon at a single- centre using navigated robot-assisted spine surgery without the need for guide-wires. Materials and Methods. Whilst positioned in the supine or lateral position, a routine supine anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF), and/or antero-lateral ALIF (AL-ALIF) and/or lateral lateral interbody fusion (LLIF) is performed. The patient is then turned prone or kept in the single lateral position (SPL) for insertion of the posterior screws performed under robotic guidance. Intraoperative CT scan 3D images captured then are sent to the Robotic software platform for planning of the screw trajectories and finally use again at the end of the procedure to confirm screw accuracy. We identified 34 consecutive patients from October 2019 to January 2020 who underwent robotic assisted spine surgery. The demographic, intraoperative, and perioperative data of all these patients were reviewed and presented. Results. Of the 34 patients, 65 levels were treated in total using 204 screws. Of the 21 patients (60%) who underwent single-level fixation, 14 of them (67%) were treated at the L5/S1 level, 3 at L3/L4, 3 at L4/L5 and 1 at L2/L3 level. The remaining 13 patients (40%) underwent multi-level fixation, of which 4 were adult scoliosis. 15 underwent a supine ALIF approach, 1 underwent AL-ALIF, 8 patients underwent combined LLIF and AL-ALIF approach in a lateral decubitus, whilst 9 underwent pure LLIF approach (of which 3 patients were in the single position lateral) and one patient had previous TLIF surgery. The average estimated blood loss was 60 cc. The average planning time was 10 min and the average duration of surgery was 50 min. The average patient age was 54 years and 64% (22/34) were male. The average BMI was 28.1 kg/m. 2. There were no re-interventions due to complications or mal positioned screws. Conclusion. Minimally invasive spine surgery using robot-assisted navigation yields an improved level of accuracy, decreased radiation exposure, minimal muscle disruption, decreased blood loss, shorter operating theatre time, length of stay, and lower complication rates. Further follow-up of the patients treated will help compare the clinical outcomes with other techniques

Aims. The direct posterior approach with subperiosteal dissection of the paraspinal muscles from the vertebrae is considered to be the standard approach for the surgical treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). We investigated whether or not a minimally-invasive surgery (MIS) technique could offer improved results. Methods. Consecutive AIS patients treated with an MIS technique at two tertiary centres from June 2013 to March 2016 were retrospectively included. Preoperative patient deformity characteristics, perioperative parameters, power of deformity correction, and complications were studied. A total of 93 patients were included. The outcome of the first 25 patients and the latter 68 were compared as part of our safety analysis to examine the effect of the learning curve. Results. In the first 25 cases, with a mean follow-up of 5.6 years (standard deviation (SD) 0.4), the mean preoperative major Cobb angle was 57.6° (SD 9.8°) and significantly corrected to mean 15.4° (SD 5.6°, 73% curve correction). The mean preoperative T5-T12 was 26.2 (SD 12.8) and significantly increased to mean 32.9 (SD 8.3). Both frontal and sagittal plane correction was conserved two years after surgery. The rate of perioperative complications was 12% and three further complications occurred (three deep delayed infection). In the latter cases, 68 patients were included with a mean follow-up time of three years (SD 0.6). The mean preoperative major Cobb angle was 58.4° (SD 9.2°) and significantly corrected to mean 20.4° (SD 7.3°).The mean preoperative T5-T12 kyphosis was 26.6° (SD 12.8°) and was significantly increased to mean 31.4° (SD 8.3°). Both frontal and sagittal correction was conserved two years after surgery. The perioperative (30 day) complication rate was 1.4%. Two (2.9%) additional complications occurred in two patients. Conclusion. MIS for AIS is associated with a significant correction of spine deformity in the frontal and sagittal planes, together with low estimated blood loss and short length of stay. The perioperative complication rate seems to be lower compared with the standard open technique based on the literature data. The longer-term safety of MIS for AIS needs to be documented with a larger cohort and compared with the standard posterior approach. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(4):506–512

Background. Over 55,000 spinal operations are performed annually in the NHS. Effective postoperative analgesia facilitates early mobilisation and assists rehabilitation and hospital discharge, but is difficult to achieve with conventional, opioid-based, oral analgesia. The clinical and cost-effectiveness of two alternative techniques, namely intrathecal opioid and the more novel erector-spinae plane blockade, is unknown. The Pain Relief After Instrumented Spinal Surgery (PRAISE) trial aims to evaluate these techniques. Methods. PRAISE is a multicentre, prospective, parallel group, patient-blinded, randomised trial, seeking to recruit 456 adult participants undergoing elective, posterior lumbar-instrumented spinal surgery from up to 25 NHS hospitals. Participants will be randomised 1:1:1 to receive (1) Usual Care with local wound infiltration, (2) Intrathecal Opioid plus Usual Care with local wound infiltration or (3) Erector Spinae Plane blockade plus Usual Care with no local wound infiltration. The primary outcome is pain on movement on a 100mm visual analogue scale at 24 hours post-surgery. Secondary outcomes include pain at rest, leg pain, quality of recovery (QoR-15), postoperative opioid consumption, time to mobilisation, length of hospital stay, health utility (EQ-5D-5L), adverse events and resource use. Parallel economic evaluation will estimate incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. Results. Differences in the primary outcome at 24 hours will be estimated by mixed-effects linear regression modelling, with fixed effects for randomisation factors and other important prognostic variables, and random effects for centre, using the as-randomised population. Treatment effects with 95% confidence intervals will be presented. Conclusion. The study is due to open in May 2024 and complete in 2026. Conflicts of Interest. No conflicts of interest declared. Sources of Funding. NIHR Health Technology Award – grant number NIHR153170. Trial presentations so far. APOMP 2023 and 2024; RCOA conference, York, November 2023; Faculty of Pain Management training day, London, February 2024

Objectives. This presentation discusses the experience at our Centre with treating traumatic thoracolumbar fractures using percutaneous pedicle screw fixation and also looks at clinical and radiological outcomes as well as complications. Design. This is a retrospective study reviewing all cases performed between Jan 2013 and June 2019. Subjects. In our study there were 257 patients in total, of which there were 123 males and 134 females aged between 17 and 70. Methods. We reviewed the case notes and imaging retrospectively to obtain the relevant data. Results. A total of 257 patients were included, 123 males and 134 females; the mean age was 47.6 years. The majority of injuries were from fall from significant height. In 98 cases the fracture involved a thoracic vertebra and in 159 cases a lumbar vertebra. Percutaneous pedicle screw fixation was performed either one level above and below fracture or Two levels above and below the fracture depending upon the level of injury. Forty two cases were treated with additional short pedicle screws at the level of fracture. More than 15% (39) of patients presented with a neurological deficit on admission and more than 80% (32) of those showed post-operative improvement in their neurology as per Frankel Grading system. The mean Operative time was 117minutes +− 45, and mean length of hospital stay was 7.2 +− 3.8 days, with significant improvement in Visual analogue score. Percutaneous fixation achieved a satisfactory improvement in radiological parameters including sagittal Cobb angle (SCA) post-operatively in all patients. The vast majority of patients achieved a good functional outcome according to modified Macnab criteria. Follow up was for a maximum of two years, with relevant imaging at each stage. Ten (3.8%) patients had wound infection with three patients requiring wound debridement. Four patients had upper level screws pulled out and in Four cases one screw was misplaced. All eight had revision surgery. Conclusions. Percutaneous pedicle screw fixation is a safe surgical option with comparable outcomes to open surgery and a potential reduction in perioperative morbidity. Percutaneous pedicle screw fixation is the primary surgical technique to treat traumatic thoracolumbar fractures at our Centre. There were no major complications in our series, with good functional outcome following surgery

We studied the use of autologous pre-donated blood transfusion in surgery for scoliosis in 45 patients who were divided into two groups; 27 who pre-donated autologous blood (group 1) and 18 who were planned recipients of allogenic blood (group 2). Normovolaemic haemodilution and intra-operative blood salvage was used in six patients in group 1 and three patients in group 2. The two groups did not differ significantly with respect to age, American Society of Anaesthesiologists score, mean operative time, number of vertebral segments fused, total blood loss, length of stay in intensive care and length of stay in hospital. The risk of requiring allogenic blood transfusion was found to be significantly less in group 1 (7.4% ν 88.9%, p < 0.001). Only 5.21% of autologous units were wasted. Although intra-operative blood salvage reduced the total blood loss in both groups, it did not affect the need for subsequent allogenic transfusion or reduce the number of pre-donated autologous units which were given (p < 0.67). Autologous blood transfusion required extra time, personnel, resources and cost £28.88 per patient more than allogenic transfusion, however, the projected costs at May 2002 make this programme cost-effective by £51.54 per patient. Pre-donated autologous blood transfusion is acceptable and safe in scoliosis surgery. It significantly reduces the subsequent requirement of allogenic transfusion. Although the cost is currently more than allogenic transfusion, with the increase in the costs of the latter and the decrease in potential donors which is anticipated, pre-donation of autologous blood will become comparatively cost-effective

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The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of pedicle screw placement, as well as intraoperative factors, radiation exposure, and complication rates in adult patients with degenerative disorders of the thoracic and lumbar spines who have undergone robotic-navigated spinal surgery using a contemporary system.

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To identify the incidence and risk factors for five-year same-site recurrent disc herniation (sRDH) after primary single-level lumbar discectomy. Secondary outcome was the incidence and risk factors for five-year sRDH reoperation.

Background. Low back pain (LBP) with or without leg pain, is one of the most common causes of pain and disability and a frequent cause of attendance to emergency departments (ED). Increasing numbers of patients create a difficult challenge for clinicians to effectively and appropriately manage patients with LBP in an urgent care setting. Purpose. To improve the management of atraumatic spinal pain patients admitted onto the emergency assessment unit (EAU) thus improving quality of care, reducing bed stay and facilitating appropriate discharge and follow-up within an interdisciplinary model. Method. From January 2014, consultant physiotherapists, led a 7-day service to assess and manage patients admitted to the EAU with atraumatic back pain. Patients are referred for appropriately and timely investigations. Non-medical prescribing skills allow physiotherapists to offer pharmacological review and prescribing in line with best practice guidelines. All care is delivered within a framework of inter-professional care with involvement of emergency medicine, spinal orthopaedic, neurosurgical, pain management and pharmacy teams. Results. Length of stay has reduced by 25% in two years (potential saving £411,726 per annum). Official patient complaints have reduced to zero. Readmission within 30 days has fallen from 1.2% of the total number of admissions with atraumatic back pain to 0.8% despite earlier discharge. Cost of bed stay has fallen from. Conclusion. Highly skilled physiotherapists are ideally placed to lead and deliver safe and effective care for patients presenting with atraumatic back pain within an urgent care setting. This has resulted in improved care at lower cost. No conflicts of interest. No funding obtained

Background. Advances in surgical and anesthetic technique have resulted in a reducing length of stay for lumbar decompression, with the first day case procedure published in the literature in 1980. Current evidence suggests day case surgery is associated with improved patient satisfaction, faster recovery, reduced infection rates and financial savings. Following the introduction of a locally agreed day case protocol for lumbar microdiscectomy, we reviewed our 30-day postoperative complication rates. Aims. To review postoperative complication rates for patients who underwent day case primary lumbar microdiscectomy. Methods. We studied all patients that met a locally agreed day case protocol for lumbar microdiscectomy and were operated upon between 1. st. March 2013 and 31. st. December 2015. Results. 134 patients underwent primary day case microdiscectomy (70 males, 64 females). The cohort had a mean age of 41 years (16–82). 96% (n=129) were single level procedures, 93% were unilateral (n=125). 81% (n=109) took place at either L4/L5 or L5/S1. All patients were discharged on the same day as admission and operation. 3% (n=4) of patients re-presented to hospital within 30 days of which 75% (n=3) were reviewed and discharged from the emergency department within 4 hours, following a satisfactory clinical review. One patient required an inpatient stay for a washout of a superficial postoperative infection. Conclusion. This study demonstrates that with adherence to robust listing and discharge protocols, day case lumbar microdiscectomy can be safely performed. Our 30-day postoperative complication rate of under 1% is comparable to that of traditional inpatient primary lumbar microdiscectomy. No conflicts of interest. No funding obtained

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The escalating demand for medical resources to address spinal diseases as society ages is an issue that requires careful evaluation. However, few studies have examined trends in spinal surgery, especially unscheduled hospitalizations or surgeries performed after hours, through large databases. Our study aimed to determine national trends in the number of spine surgeries in Japan. We also aimed to identify trends in after-hours surgeries and unscheduled hospitalizations and their impact on complications and costs.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate whether, after correction of an adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), leaving out the subfascial drain gives results that are no worse than using a drain in terms of total blood loss, drop in haemoglobin level, and opioid consumption.

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Implant-related postoperative spondylodiscitis (IPOS) is a severe complication in spine surgery and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. With growing knowledge in the field of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), equivalent investigations towards the management of implant-related infections of the spine are indispensable. To our knowledge, this study provides the largest description of cases of IPOS to date.