Comparison of Perioperative Complications in Anterior Decompression With Fusion and Posterior Decompression With Fusion for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: Propensity Score Matching Analysis Using a Nationwide Inpatient Database

STUDY DESIGN A retrospective cohort study with a national inpatient database. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to research the perioperative complication rates of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) patients who underwent anterior decompression with fusion (ADF) and posterior decompression with fusion (PDF) using a large national inpatient database and propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA There are several ways to successfully achieve surgical spinal decompression in CSM patients; however, evidence of the systemic complications and reoperation rates in ADF and PDF is lacking. MATERIALS AND METHODS We identified patients who were hospitalized for CSM and underwent either ADF or PDF from 2010 to 2016 using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database. In the ADF and PDF groups, we compared postoperative complications (systemic and local), medical costs during hospitalization, and mortality before and after PSM. In addition, multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for perioperative systemic complications. RESULTS A total of 1013 matched pairs were made after PSM. More perioperative systemic complications were detected in the ADF group than in the PDF group (at least 1 complication: ADF vs. PDF: 15.2% vs. 12.0%, P=0.038), especially for respiratory failure (1.4% vs. 0.4%, P=0.018), pneumonia (1.9% vs. 0.5%, P=0.004), and dysphagia (3.0% vs. 1.1%, P=0.003). The costs were ~$8000 higher (P<0.001) and the length of hospital stay was almost 5 days longer (P<0.001) in the PDF group. The risk factors for perioperative systemic complications in ADF were high age, low body mass index, and preoperative respiratory disease, and the factors in PDF were high body mass index and preoperative renal disease. CONCLUSION More systemic complications, especially respiratory events, were more frequently observed in the ADF group, while the medical costs were higher and the hospital stay was longer in the PDF group. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III.