Comparison of Perioperative Complications Between Anterior Fusion and Posterior Fusion for Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures in Elderly Patients

Study Design: This was a retrospective cohort study using a nationwide inpatient database. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the perioperative complications post–anterior fusion (AF) and posterior fusion (PF) for osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs) with a large National Inpatient Database. Summary of Background Data: OVF of the thoracolumbar spine often occur because of bone fragility and low-energy trauma in elderly patients. Though AF and PF are 2 representative surgical methods, there have been few studies focusing on perioperative complications of each method. Materials and Methods: The total 2446 (AF: 435 cases, PF: 2011 cases) patients who diagnosed thoracic or lumbar OVF and received either AF or PF were included from 2012 to 2016 with the Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) database. After one-to-one propensity score–matching, total 866 cases were analyzed to evaluate systemic and local complication rates, reoperation rates, costs, and mortality. Results: A total of 433 pairs were made between the surgical procedures after matching. At least 1 systemic complication was seen in 26.6% of the AF group compared with 16.9% of the PF group ( P =0.001). Specifically, the incidence of pulmonary embolism ( P =0.045), urinary tract infection ( P =0.012), and pleurisy ( P =0.004) were significantly higher in the AF group. Blood transfusion ( P =0.007) and the operation for systemic complications ( P =0.020) were required more often in the AF group. The cost for hospitalization was also higher in the AF group ( P <0.001). There were no differences in the mortality rates between the 2 groups. Conclusions: More systemic complications were observed in the AF group. Surgeons need to take careful consideration of the merits and demerits described in this study when deciding the surgical method for OVF. Level of Evidence: Level 3.