European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society
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Randomized Controlled Trial
No benefit of early versus late ambulation after incidental durotomy in lumbar spine surgery: a randomized controlled trial.
Incidental durotomy (ID) is a complication occurring in 4-17% of decompressive spinal surgeries. Persisting CSF leakage can occur even after ID repair and requires revision surgery. Prolonged flat bed rest (BR) to reduce the incidence of persisting CSF leakage is frequently applied but highly debated. A randomized controlled trial comparing prolonged BR versus early ambulation after ID repair is lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of revision surgery as a result of persistent cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) leakage and medical complications after immediate or late post-operative ambulation following ID during decompressive spinal surgery. ⋯ Level 1b (individual randomized controlled trial). These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.