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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The demand for SIJ fusion among obese patients has grown substantially. However, the clinical relevance of obesity in the context of SI joint fusion has not been well investigated specifically, whether there is a BMI cutoff above which the benefit-risk ratio is low. ⋯ This study demonstrates similar benefits across all BMI categories. This data suggests that obese patients do benefit from minimally invasive SIJ fusion, specifically the 35-40 BMI cohort of patients, and should not be denied this procedure based on arbitrary healthcare organizations BMI criteria.
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In the present study, we aimed to analyze whether the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score was predictive for pseudoarthrosis in patients who underwent with short-segment lumbar decompression and fusion for degenerative lumbar spine disorders (DSD). ⋯ A combined effect of comorbidities might yield higher pseudoarthrosis rates following short-segment decompression and fusion for DSD. Each one-point increment in CCI score and SFI score yielded a 26% increment and a 73% decrement in risk for pseudoarthrosis in those subjects. A cut-off value of 2.5 points for the CCI score could distinguish the subjects who might have pseudoarthrosis following short-segment surgery for DSD.