5-Year Reoperation Risk and Causes for Revision After Idiopathic Scoliosis Surgery

Study Design. An actuarial “survivorship” analysis. Objective. The aim of this study was to define the incidence and cause of surgical revision 5 years after scoliosis surgery. Summary of Background Data. Data on contemporary revision surgery rates after idiopathic scoliosis surgery beyond the 2 years postoperatively in the adolescent and young adult population are limited. Methods. Patients enrolled in a prospective, multicenter, idiopathic scoliosis surgical registry from 1995 to 2009 were reviewed. Any spine reoperation was defined as a “terminal event.” An actuarial survivorship analysis that adjusts for patients lost to follow-up was performed to determine cumulative survival. Time intervals were defined as 0 to <3 months, 3 months to <1 year, 1 to <2 years, 2 to <5 years, and 5 to 10 years. Registry data and radiographs were reviewed and five categories for reoperation assigned: 1) implant failure and/or pseudarthrosis, 2) implant misplacement and/or prominence, 3) wound complication and/or infection, 4) residual deformity and/or progression, and 5) other. Results. One thousand four hundred thirty-five patients from 12 sites were included. The majority were female (80%), with major thoracic curves (76% Lenke 1–4), and average age of 15 ± 2 years (10–22) at surgery. Most had posterior spinal instrumentation and fusion (81%). At this time, 75 (5.2%) patients required reoperation. Twenty-two occurred within 3 months postop, 10 more before 1 year, 12 more before 2 years, another 20 by 5 years, and 10 more after 5 years. This corresponded to an actuarial cumulative survival of 98.3% at 3 months, 97.5% at 1 year, 96.6% at 2 years, 93.9% at 5 years, and 89.8% at the final interval (5–10 yrs). Conclusion. Revisions for scoliosis continue to occur well after 2 years with a 5-year survivorship of 93.9%. Reasons for reoperation are not uniformly distributed over time, with implant-related issues and infection the leading cause for early revision, while late infection was the most common cause after 2 years. Long-term follow-up of these postoperative patients remains important. Level of Evidence: 3