Objective To examine the magnitude of the adverse impact of high-dose methylprednisolone treatment in patients with acute cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods We examined the abstracted data from the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, and included patients with ICD-10 code S141 who were admitted on an emergency basis between 1 July and 31 December in 2007–2009. The investigation evaluated the patients’ sex, age, comorbidities, Japan Coma Scale, hospital volume and the amount of methylprednisolone administered. One-to-one propensity-score matching between high-dose methylprednisolone group (>5000 mg) and control group was performed to compare the rates of in-hospital death and major complications (sepsis; pneumonia; urinary tract infection; gastrointestinal ulcer/bleeding; and pulmonary embolism). Results We identified 3508 cervical SCI patients (2652 men and 856 women; mean age, 60.8±18.7 years) including 824 (23.5%) patients who received high-dose methylprednisolone. A propensity-matched analysis with 824 pairs of patients showed a significant increase in the occurrence of gastrointestinal ulcer/bleeding (68/812 vs 31/812; p<0.001) in the high-dose methylprednisolone group. Overall, the high-dose methylprednisolone group demonstrated a significantly higher risk of complications (144/812 vs 96/812;OR, 1.66; 95% CI 1.23 to 2.24; p=0.001) than the control group. There was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality between the high-dose methylprednisolone group and the control group (p=0.884). Conclusions Patients receiving high-dose methylprednisolone had a significantly increased risk of major complications, in particular, gastrointestinal ulcer/bleeding. However, high-dose methylprednisolone treatment was not associated with any increase in mortality.

A retrospective review of 10 consecutive patients with a noninflammatory retro-odontoid pseudotumor. To examine the radiographic characteristics in patients with a retro-odontoid pseudotumor and to evaluate the efficacy of posterior fusion. A retro-odontoid pseudotumor, a reactive fibrocartilaginous mass, is known to develop after chronic atlantoaxial instability; however, one-third of the reported cases showed no overt atlantoaxial instability. The pathomechanism for such "atypical" cases remains unclear, although altered cervical motion secondary to ossification of the anterior longitudinal ligament (OALL) or severe spondylosis has been implicated. We reviewed the charts and radiographs of 10 patients with a retro-odontoid pseudotumor who underwent surgery. Preoperative radiographs were evaluated for atlas-dens interval (ADI), presence of OALL, range of motion, and segmental motion adjacent to the atlantoaxial joint. Computed tomography was evaluated for degenerative changes of zygapophysial joints. There were 6 men and 4 women. Atlantoaxial instability (ADI >4 mm) was observed in 2 patients. ADI was less than 3 mm in 5 patients. Frequent association of OALL (6 patients) and marked decrease in C2 to C7 range of motion (mean, 17.6 degrees ; range, 3 degrees-36 degrees ) were noted. Ankylosis of O-C1 was observed in 4 patients and C2 to C3 in 6. Severe degenerative change of C2 to C3 zygapophysial joint was observed in 4 patients. The patients underwent occipito-cervical fusion (9 patients) or direct removal of the pseudotumor (1 patient). Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging invariably demonstrated the mass regression. Retro-odontoid pseudotumors were not always associated with radiographic atlantoaxial instability. Our data indicate that extensive OALL and ankylosis of the adjacent segments are risk factors for the formation of the pseudotumor. Retro-odontoid pseudotumors may develop as an "adjacent segment disease" after altered biomechanics of the cervical spine, especially those in the adjacent segments. Posterior fusion was effective even in cases without radiographic atlantoaxial instability.

Estructive spondyloarthropathy further increases perioperative risks. Methods: We examined abstracted data from the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database in a retrospective analysis of a nationally representative inpatient database. The survey of the database is conducted annually for a six-month period between July 1 and December 31. The data from 2007 and 2008 were used for this study. We included all patients who had undergone any combination of laminectomy, laminoplasty, discectomy, and/or spinal arthrodesis. For analysis, dialysis-dependent patients were further classified into subgroups with or without destructive spondyloarthropathy. Results: We identified 51,648 eligible patients (30,743 men and 20,905 women; mean age, sixty-two years), including 869 (1.7%) who were dialysis-dependent. Of the latter, ninety-five had destructive spondyloarthropathy. Overall in-hospital mortality was 0.41%. Dialysis-dependent patients had a significantly higher in-hospital mortality rate than non-dialysis-dependent patients. After adjustment, dialysis-dependent patients remained at a tenfold higher risk for in-hospital death. Dialysis-dependent patients were also at significantly greater risk for postoperative major complications. The rate of complications in dialysis-dependent patients with destructive spondyloarthropathy was 65% higher than that in those without destructive spondyloarthropathy, but this difference did not reach significance. Conclusions: Dialysis-dependent patients had a tenfold higher risk of in-hospital death than did non-dialysis-dependent patients. Dialysis-dependent patients were also more likely to have major complications such as cardiac events, sepsis, and respiratory complications. Our data also indicate that the presence of destructive spondyloarthropathy is associated with a higher rate of postoperative complications in dialysis-dependent patients. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence....

Acute traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition that results in lifelong disability, long-term risks of medical complications, and use of health care resources.¹ It is estimated that 18 000 new SCI cases occur annually in the United States.² Over the past decades, the number of cervical SCIs associated with falls among the older adults has continued to increase, emerging as a major public health issue.^3-5 Such SCIs are mostly incomplete, caused by low-energy trauma, and associated with preexisting canal stenosis due to degenerative changes or ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL).⁶

Retrospective multicenter study. To review the clinical characteristics of traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) associated with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). Despite its potentially devastating consequences, there is a lack of information about acute cervical SCI complicated by OPLL. This study included consecutive patients with acute traumatic cervical SCI (Frankel A, B, and C) who were admitted within 48 hours of injury to 34 spine institutions across Japan. For analysis of neurologic outcome, patients who had completed at least a 6-month follow-up were included. Neurologic improvement was defined as at least one grade conversion in Frankel grade. A total of 453 patients were identified (367 men, 86 women; mean age, 59 years). OPLL was found in 106 (23%) patients (87 men, 19 women; mean age, 66 years). Most of the patients with OPLL (94 of 106) were without bone injury, presenting with incomplete SCI. The prevalence of OPLL reached 34% in SCI without bone injury. The cause of SCI was predominantly falls (74%). Only 25% of the patients were aware of OPLL. Half of the OPLL patients reported gait disturbance before injury. Forty-eight (52%) OPLL patients without bone injury underwent surgery (median, 13.5 days after injury), mostly laminoplasty. Overall, no significant difference was noted in neurologic improvement between surgery group and conservative group. However, further stratification showed that surgery was associated with greater neurologic recovery in patients who had gait disturbance before injury (P = 0.04). Prevalence of OPLL among cervical SCI was alarmingly high, especially in those without bone injury. Most of cervical SCI associated with OPLL were incomplete, without bone injury, and caused predominantly by low-energy trauma. The majority of the patients were unaware of OPLL. Surgery produced better neurologic recovery in patients who had gait disturbance before injury.

The purpose of this study was to examine how complications in older adults undergoing orthopaedic surgery vary as a function of age, comorbidity, and type of surgical procedure. We abstracted data from the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database for all patients aged ≥ 50 who had undergone cervical laminoplasty, lumbar decompression, lumbar arthrodesis, or primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) between July 1 and December 31 in the years 2007 to 2010. Outcome measures included all-cause in-hospital mortality and incidence of major complications. We analyzed the effects of age, sex, comorbidities, and type of surgical procedure on outcomes. Charlson comorbidity index was used to identify and summarize patients’ comorbid burden. A total of 107,104 patients were identified who underwent cervical laminoplasty (16,020 patients), lumbar decompression (31,605), lumbar arthrodesis (18,419), or TKA (41,060). Of these, 17,339 (16.2%) were aged 80 years or older. Overall, in-hospital death occurred in 121 patients (0.11%) and 4,448 patients (4.2%) had at least one major complication. In-hospital mortality and complication rates increased with increasing age and comorbidity. A multivariate analysis showed mortality and major complications following surgery were associated with advanced age (aged ≥ 80 years; odds ratios 5.88 and 1.51), male gender, and a higher comorbidity burden (Charlson comorbidity index ≥ 3; odds ratio, 16.5 and 5.06). After adjustment for confounding factors, patients undergoing lumbar arthrodesis or cervical laminoplasty were at twice the risk of in-hospital mortality compared with patients undergoing TKA. Our data demonstrated that an increased comorbid burden as measured by Charlson comorbidity index has a greater impact on postoperative mortality and major complications than age in older adults undergoing orthopaedic surgery. After adjustment, mortality following lumbar arthrodesis or cervical laminoplasty was twice as high as that in TKA. Our findings suggest that an assessment of perioperative risks in elderly patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery should be stratified according to comorbidity burden and type of procedures, as well as by patient’s age.