Prevalence and Incidence of Early and Late Complications of Lumbar Spine Fusion Surgery in Alzahra and Kashani Hospitals in Isfahan City, Iran, during 2011-2015

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and incidence of early and late complications of lumbar spine fusion surgery in Alzahra and Kashani hospitals, Isfahan city, Iran, during 2011-2015.
In a cross-sectional study, all the patients undergoing lumbar spine fusion surgery from the early 2011 until the end of 2015 were studied for the early and late complications caused by spine fusion.
Findings: In this study, 326 patients were evaluated where 51 patients (15.6%) had postoperative complications. Type of complications included 4 cases (7.8%) of symptomatic hematoma, 9 cases (17.6%) of techal injury, 6 cases (11.8%) of decrease in muscle strength, 7 cases (13.7%) of fractures or displacement on instrument, 15 cases (29.4%) of superficial and deep infection, 2 cases (9.3%) of deep vein thrombosis, 2 cases (3.9%) of problem in screw place, 1 case (2%) of root damage and 5 cases of other complications.
The incidence of postoperative complications in patients undergoing spine fusion is high and among the complications, infection was the most common early complication and force reduction is the highest late complication. Therefore, care is required after surgery and lifestyle modification and control of the underlying disease such as diabetes is a priority.