Study: Spinal fusion failure more likely for diabetic patients

Editor's Note

Lumbar spinal fusion procedures are significantly more likely to fail in individuals with diabetes, according researchers at The University of Toledo.

According to a July 9 EurekAlert! report on the study, published in JBMR Plus, diabetic patients are already known to have a higher risk of infection from surgeries. However, concern is growing about the high rate of failure in spinal fusions due to bones not properly fusing.

Analyzing over 500 patients who underwent lumbar spinal fusion at The University of Toledo Medical Center between 2009 and 2017, researchers found that individuals with diabetes were nearly three times more likely to experience non-union complications compared to non-diabetic patients, the outlet reports. Diabetic patients were also over twice as likely to experience additional degeneration in adjacent spinal segments, often requiring further surgery.

Quoting study authors, the article explains that diabetes contributes to complications with bone health and healing. Evidence includes tissue analysis from revision surgeries showing that bone structure in diabetic patients was less developed, indicating poorer bone quality. These findings underscore the importance of addressing bone health in diabetic patients undergoing spinal fusion amid continued rise in cases of both the surgery and the chronic disease. Surgeons can reduce failure risks in diabetic patients by managing A1C and blood glucose levels and considering biological scaffolds and therapeutic agents to support bone formation.