Back Surgery "Invasiveness Index" May Determine Complication Risk

Having back surgery is not without potential complications. Wouldn’t it be nice to know what they are likely to be before you agree to "go under the knife"?

A new study, published in the November 15 issue of Spine Journal found that the degree of invasiveness of a surgery could explain variations in blood loss, as well as length of time spent in the operating room. For example, the study showed that for every vertebral level addressed by anterior (going into the spine via the front) instrumentation (rods, plates or screws to hold the bones in place), the length of time in the operating room increased by 34 minutes. Anterior instrumentation is the most invasive surgery of the six procedures included in this research.

The study authors are optimistic that their findings can provide an index (called the "invasiveness index") that quantifies the risks, one that would be useful to doctors and spine patients when making informed decisions about the various surgical options for back pain relief.

| Back Surgery | Back Pain | Failed Back Surgery Syndrome - FBSS |

_{Source:
Mirza, Sohail K. MD, MPH *+++; Deyo, Richard A. MD, MPH [S]; Heagerty, Patrick J. PhD *[P]; Konodi, Mark A. MS +; Lee, Lorri A. MD [//]; Turner, Judith A. PhD **; Goodkin, Robert MD. Development of an Index to Characterize the "Invasiveness" of Spine Surgery: Validation by Comparison to Blood Loss and Operative Time. Spine. 33(24):2651-2661, November 15, 2008.}