title: Effects of fusion and conservative treatment on disc degeneration and rates of subsequent surgery after thoracolumbar fracture.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to compare the incidence of degeneration and need for subsequent fusion surgery between patients who were treated nonsurgically and patients treated with fusion after a diagnosis of thoracic-or lumbar-level fracture without degenerative disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors performed a retrospective study of Orthopedic United Healthcare patients diagnosed with thoracic or lumbar fracture. Patients were filtered into thoracic and lumbar fracture groups using diagnostic codes and then assigned to one of 2 treatment subgroups (fusion surgery or no surgery) on the basis of procedural codes. Disc degeneration and follow-up surgery were recorded. Chi-square statistical analysis was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 3699 patients diagnosed with a thoracic fracture, 117 (3.2%) underwent thoracic fusion and 3215 (86.9%) were treated nonsurgically. Within 3 years, 147 (4.6%) patients from the nonsurgical subgroup and fewer than 11 (0.9%-8.5%) from the fusion subgroup were diagnosed with thoracic disc degeneration. From the nonsurgical subgroup, 11 (0.3%) patients underwent a thoracic surgery related to disc degeneration compared with zero from the fusion group (p > 0.05). Of 5016 patients diagnosed with lumbar fracture, 150 (3.0%) underwent fusion and 4371 (87.1%) had no surgery. Within 3 years, 503 patients (11.5%) from the nonsurgical subgroup and 35 (23.3%) from the fusion subgroup were diagnosed with lumbar disc degeneration (p < 0.05). From the nonsurgical subgroup, 42 (1.0%) went on to have surgery related to disc degeneration, compared with fewer than 11 (0.7%-6.7%) from the fusion subgroup (values not precise due to privacy limitations).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fusion surgery for thoracic fracture does not appear to increase the likelihood of undergoing future surgery. In the lumbar region, initial fusion surgery appears to increase the incidence of disc degeneration and could potentially necessitate future surgeries.
authors.affiliation: Program in Biological Sciences, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; 
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Oro
authors.affiliation: Departments of 2 Orthopaedic Surgery and.
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Spoonamore
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Jeremiah R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles; and.
authors.forename: Frank L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Acosta
authors.affiliation: Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles; and.
authors.forename: Patrick C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.affiliation: Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles; and.
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles; and.
authors.forename: Thomas C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Departments of 2 Orthopaedic Surgery and.
authors.forename: Zorica
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Buser
authors.affiliation: Departments of 2 Orthopaedic Surgery and.
authors.forename: Jeffrey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D055959:Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D013123:Spinal Fusion; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries*
keywords: CPT = Current Procedural Terminology; ICD-9 = International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition; disc degeneration; follow-up surgery; fusion; trauma