Propensity-matched Analysis of Outcomes and Hospital Charges for Anterior Versus Posterior Cervical Fusion for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy.

Study Design: Retrospective analysis of data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a nationally representative, all-payer database of inpatient diagnoses and procedures in the United States.
Objective: The objective of this study is to compare anterior cervical fusion (ACF) to posterior cervical fusion (PCF) in the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM).
Summary of Background Data: Previous studies used retrospective single-institution level data to quantify outcomes for CSM patients fusion. It is unclear whether ACF or PCF is superior with regards to charges or outcomes for the treatment of CSM.
Materials and Methods: We used Nationwide Inpatient Sample data to compare ACF to PCF in the management of CSM. All patients 18 years or older with a diagnosis of CSM between 1998 and 2011 were included. ACF patients were matched to PCF patients using propensity scores based on patient characteristics (number of levels fused, spine alignment, comorbidities), hospital characteristics, and patient demographics. Multivariable regression was used to measure the effect of treatment assignment on in-hospital charges, length of hospital stay, in-hospital mortality, discharge disposition, and dysphagia diagnosis.
Results: From 1998 to 2011, we identified 109,728 hospitalizations with a CSM diagnosis. Of these patients, 45,629 (41.6%) underwent ACF and 14,439 (13.2%) underwent PCF. The PCF cohort incurred an average of $41,683 more in-hospital charges (P<0.001, inflation adjusted to 2011 dollars) and remained in hospital an average of 2.4 days longer (P<0.001) than the ACF cohort. The ACF cohort was just as likely to die in the hospital [odds ratio 0.91; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.68-1.2], 3.0 times more likely to be discharged to home or self-care (95% CI, 2.9-3.2), and 2.5 times more likely to experience dysphagia (95% CI, 2.0-3.1) than the PCF cohort.
Conclusions: In treating CSM, ACF led to lower hospital charges, shorter hospital stays, and an increased likelihood of being discharged to home relative to PCF.