An article published in the August edition of Spine examines the risk factors for dural tears in the cervical spine.
The researchers examined 3,848 cases performed by K. Daniel Riew, MD, at Washington University from 1995 to 2012. There were 38 dural tear occurrences.
The risk factors associated with dural tears included:
• Older age
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Posterior longitudinal ligament ossification
• Cervical deformity
• Longer operative time
• Multiple surgical levels
• Worse preoperative neurological status
• Corpectomy performance
• Revision laminectomy
The researchers found initial treatment failed in 32 percent of the dural tear cases and 13 percent required hospital readmissions. Older patients and those with posterior longitudinal ligament ossification were more likely to experience failed dural tear treatment.
However, after 18 months there were no clinical sequelae from the dural tears. The researchers also found that initial treatment failures occurred more often than previously reported.
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