Adequacy of Routine Preoperative Assessments for Osteoporosis in Spinal Fusion Surgery among Neurosurgeons

Osteoporosis as an undesirable factor may cause complications in spinal fusion surgery and lead to re-operation. We evaluated the adequacy of routine preoperative assessments for osteoporosis in patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery among neurosurgeons in Iran.

In this cross-sectional study, a validated Persian version of spine surgeons’ attitude regarding osteoporosis questionnaire was used to assess the performance of surgeons before spinal fusion surgery in patients with suspected osteoporosis. Data were analyzed using SPSS V23.

Out of 800 surgeons, 380 (47.5%) responded. Overall, 235 surgeons (61.8%) did not assess osteoporosis in patients undergoing fusion surgery, while 77 (20.2%) used radiography, 56 (14.7%) used dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and 12 (1.3%) used DXA and laboratory tests to assess these patients. The rate of re-operation was significantly higher in patients who were not assessed for osteoporosis before fusion surgery (84.1% vs. 15.9%, P=0.0001).

Current study showed inadequate awareness of neurosurgeons on necessary preoperative assessments for osteoporotic in patients undergoing spinal fusion. Neurosurgeons are suggested to pay more attention to preoperative assessment of osteoporosis in these patients.