A new study published in Clinical Spine Surgery examines the association between BMI and revision scoliosis surgery outcomes.
The researchers examined outcomes for 45 adult revision scoliosis patients who underwent at least two years of follow-up. There were 35 women and 10 men participating in the study; they were either in the overweight or non-overweight group. The study considered a BMI of 25 or more overweight.
The researchers found:
1. There wasn't a significant difference between the two groups for these factors:
• Surgical methods
• Complication rates
• Radiographic measures
2. The overweight patient group had a higher rate of thoracic kyphosis preoperatively as well as at the final follow-up than in the non-overweight group.
3. There was a higher comorbidity of circulatory disorders—33.3 percent—among the overweight group when compared with the non-overweight group. The overweight group also had a higher comorbidity rate at 25.5 percent than then non-obese patients.
4. The Overweight group had a higher VAS score:
• Non-overweight: 5.2
• Overweight: 7.1
5. Two years after surgery both groups reported improvements in the VAS and ODI scores. The improvements were significant over the preoperative scores.
The researchers concluded BMI didn't have an impact on functional outcome or perioperative complication rates after surgical correction. "Overweight patients benefited from surgery just as much as non-overweight patients at two-year follow-up," concluded the study authors.