Affiliations: Klinik und Poliklinik für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Bonn, Germany
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Robert Pflugmacher, Klinik und Poliklinik für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany. Tel.: +151 58 233 263; Fax: +228 287 14175; E-mail:robert.pflugmacher@ukb.uni-bonn.de
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Smoking is a risk factor in the process of bone healing after
lumbar spondylodesis, often associated with complications that occur
intraoperatively or during follow-up periods. OBJECTIVE: To assess if smokers yield worse results concerning lumbar
interbody fusion than non-smokers in a clinical comparative setting. METHODS: Spondylodesis outcomes in 50 patients, 34 non-smokers (mean 58 years; (range 29-81) and 16 smokers (mean 47 years; range 29-75) were
compared preoperatively and one year after spondylodesis surgery using
Oswestry-Disability-Index (ODI), visual analogue scale (VAS) and
radiological outcome analysis of fusion-success. RESULTS: Smokers showed a comparable ODI-improvement (p = 0.9343) and pain
reduction to non-smokers (p = 0.5451). The intake of opioids was only
reduced in non-smokers one year after surgery. Fusion success was
significantly better in non-smokers (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that smoking adversely effects spinal
fusion. Particularly re-operations caused by pseudarthrosis occur at a
higher rate in smokers than in non-smokers.
