Study design: Prospective, longitudinal cohort.
Objective: To evaluate the incidence, timing, and risk factors for reoperation in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) treated with pedicle screws (PSs) compared with hybrid (Hb) constructs.
Summary of background data: Rates of return to the operating room (OR) after definitive fusion for AIS vary, with a paucity of data on PS constructs.
Methods: A prospective multicenter database was retrospectively queried to identify consecutive patients with AIS who underwent posterior spinal fusion with either PS or Hb constructs with a minimum 2-year follow-up. All reoperations were stratified into an early group (<60 d) or a late group (>60 d). Univariate and multivariate logistical analyses were performed to identify potential risk factors related to reoperation.
Results: A total of 627 patients met the inclusion criteria (PS = 540, Hb = 87). There was a statistically significant difference in the rate of reoperations between the PS (3.5%) and Hb groups (12.6%), P < 0.001. Early return to the OR occurred in 2.0% of the patients with PS compared with 3.4% in the Hb group, P = 0.43. Late returns to the OR occurred in 1.5% of PS group versus 9.2% of the Hb group, P < 0.001. Multivariate analysis revealed longer operating time as an independent risk factor for an unplanned return to the OR in patients treated with PSs (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Our results suggest that patients with AIS treated with PS have decreased rates of unplanned return to the OR when compared with patients with Hb constructs. The majority of returns to the OR were early (<60 d) for the PS group compared with late (>60 d) for the Hb group. Longer operative times increased the risk of unplanned reoperation for the PS group.
Level of evidence: 3.