Spinal News International highlights study results published in The Spine Journal by Sheeraz Qureshi, MD, MBA, spine surgeon at HSS, finding revision discectomy is associated with higher rates of subsequent lumbar fusion (SLF) and faster time to SLF that primary discectomy at eight-year follow-up.

Dr. Qureshi said, “Our study reports eight-year rates of SRD and SLF after primary and revision discectomies. I see two aspects of the clinical significance of these results: One, it is vital information for surgical counselling as patients often inquire about the rates of reoperation, and two, even though the rates are statistically greater after revision discectomy versus primary (6% vs. 5% for SRD and 10% vs. 6% for SLF), these are not major differences looking from the clinical standpoint. This calls for case-based and shared decision-making for additional discectomy versus fusion in cases with symptomatic recurrent disc herniation rather than opting for a fusion in every case.”

Read the full article at Spinalnewsinternational.com.