查看文章

Study Design.

Retrospective study.

Objective.

To study the impact of smoking status on postoperative complications and pseudarthrosis in adult patients undergoing posterolateral fusion (PLF) of the lumbar spine.

Summary of Background Data.

Results of studies analyzing the impact of smoking on complication and pseudarthrosis rates after spine surgery are conflicting.

Methods.

A retrospective medical record review was performed to identify all adult patients who underwent single-and 2-level instrumented PLF without interbody devices for degenerative spine disease in a 21-year period at a single institution. Patients were divided into smokers and nonsmokers. The main outcome variables were development of at least one postoperative complication and development of pseudarthrosis.

Results.

A total of 281 patients underwent single-or 2-level PLF in the 21-year period. Of these, 231 (82.21%) patients were …