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13
FactorsAffectingSurgicalDecision MakingintheManagementofSpinalCord Injury
SoKato,SatoshiNori,andMichaelG.Fehlings
INTRODUCTION
Theincidence of traumaticspinalcord injury (SCI) anditsassociated surgical interventionshavebeenslowlyrisingduetoanincreasingpopulationandaging society(1).Theprimaryobjectiveofsurgicalinterventionistodecompressthe spinal cord and regain stability of the spinal axis to optimize the local environment for neurological recovery. As surgical techniques, anesthetic protocols,andperioperativemanagementstrategieshaveevolved,thesafetyand efficacy of operative intervention for SCI have improved, and as a result the willingnesstohandlepatientswithcomplexcomorbiditieshasalsoincreased.
Theoutcomeofsurgicalinterventionshasagreatimpactonpatients’quality of life (2), and the societal cost associated with SCI treatment is a huge economic burden. Despite its critical importance, a consensus regarding treatment strategy has not been fully established and there are several controversiesregardingsurgicaldecisionmaking.Thepurposeofthischapteris to review the current knowledge regarding factors affecting surgical decision makinginSCI and to provide our own perspectives onthischallengingtopic.
The main issues addressed in this chapter are injury classification, timing of surgicaldecompression,surgicaltechniques,andpatientcomorbidities.
INJURYCLASSIFICATION
To determine the operative indications for surgical intervention in cases of traumaticSCI,athoroughassessmentofinjurytypesandneurologicalstatusis mandatory.Currently,therearevariousclassificationstocharacterizedamageto thespinalaxis.
SubaxialCervicalSpine
The AOSpine recently developed and established a classification system to characterizesubaxialcervicalspineinjury(3).Thisclassificationmainlyfocuses onthemorphologyandmechanismofinjury,anditisusefulforcommunication amonghealthcare providers and better definitionsfromaresearch perspective. Todirectlyanswerthequestionofindicationsforoperativetreatment,however, theSubaxialCervicalSpineInjuryClassificationSystem(SLICS)score,which wasdevelopedin2007andhasbeenwidelyusedthereafter,explainswhatcases shouldbetreatedoperativelyinamoreintuitiveway(Table13.1;4).TheSLICS score assesses three categories that characterize the injury: morphology (compression, burst, distraction, and rotation/translation), damage to discoligamentouscomplex(DLC),andneurologicaldeficits.Scoresareassigned in each category, and when the sum of the three scores is above four points, operative management is indicated, while nonoperative management is recommended in patients where the sum of scores is less than four points. MorphologyandDLCscoresfocusonspinalstability,withhigherscoresbeing assignedwherethespineismoreunstable.Generally,instabilityisdependenton thenumberofcolumnsdamagedaccordingtotheDenisclassification(anterior, middle,andposterior)(5;Figure13.1).Neurologicalscoreweighsmoreincases ofincompletecordinjuryascomparedtocompleteinjury,givenitspotentialfor recoveryandtheurgencyofinterventionrequired.Nerverootinjury(i.e.,cauda equina injury) is considered to have a better prognosis. The reliability and validityoftheSLICShasbeenestablished(6).
ThoracolumbarSpine
Classification scores have also been proposed in thoracolumbar (considered herein to include both the thoracic and lumbar spine) injuries. The Denis classificationsystemcategorizestheinjuriesintofourtypesbasedontheextent ofspinalcolumn disruption:compression, burst,seatbeltinjuries,and fracture dislocations (5). Similarly to the subaxial cervical spine, the AOSpine also developed a classification system for the thoracolumbar spine (7). The Thoracolumbar Injury Classification and Severity (TLICS) system was developedin 2005 (Table 13.2;8) precedingSLICS, which was modified and appliedto thesubaxialcervical spinelater.Asisthe casewithSLICS, TLICS analyzesinjurymorphology,theintegrityoftheposteriorligamentouscomplex (PLC), and neurological status. Morphology correlates more with immediate stability, while PLC integrity correlates with long-termstability. Integration of PLC damage assessment is useful to differentiate chance fractures from burst fractures.“C”hancefractureisacompressioninjurytotheanteriorportionofthe vertebral body and a transverse fracture through the posterior elements of the vertebraandtheposteriorportionofthevertebralbody,whichtherebyinvolves PLC injury. It is also described as “flexion-distraction injury.” This type of injury has been commonly seen in motor vehicle accidents with hyperflexion force, also known as “seat belt injury.” It is clinically important for decision making because chance fractures usually necessitate stabilization by posterior tension band reconstruction, which is not the case for compression or burst fractures.Similarly to SLICS,asummed score above fourpointsindicates the need for surgicalintervention, and a summed score of fewer than four points indicates that nonoperative management may be employed. Reliability and validityoftheTLICShasbeenrepeatedlytestedandestablished,buttheoptimal treatment strategy for thoracolumbar burst fractures is still controversial. The vast majority of thoracolumbar burst fracturesare neurologicallyintact due to the wide spinal canal at this point and they can be managed nonoperatively. Thosewithsolitary radicularsymptoms,whichtypicallyresultinTLICS score of4 (borderline), are known to have a good prognosis and surgical indication shouldbedeterminedonacase-by-casebasisdepending onthe symptomsand patients’physicalstate.
TABLE13.1SubaxialCervicalSpineInjuryClassificationSystem(SLICS)
TYPE POINTS
Morphology Compression 1
Burst 2
Distraction 3
Rotationortranslation 4
IntegrityofDLC Intact 0
Indeterminate 1
Disrupted 2
Neurologicstatus Intact 0
Nerverootinjury 1
Completecordinjury 2
Incompletecordinjury 3
Continuouscordcompression +1
DLC,discoligamentouscomplex.
Source:AdaptedfromVaccaroAR,HulbertRJ,PatelAA,etal.Thesubaxialcervicalspineinjury classificationsystem:anovelapproachtorecognizetheimportanceofmorphology,neurology,andintegrity ofthedisco-ligamentouscomplex.Spine(PhilaPa1976).2007;32:2365–2374. doi:10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181557b92
SURGICALAPPROACHANDTECHNIQUESFOR FIXATION
The classifications described earlier influence not only surgical indication but also management strategies such as surgical approach and techniques of stabilization. Given spinal axis stability is impaired to various extents in traumatic SCI, spinal stabilization is almost always required. Decompression procedures without fusion are seldom performed due to the risk of worsening stabilityordeformitydevelopmentafterlaminectomyalone,withtheexception oflaminoplastyforcentralcordsyndrome (CCS)without instability. Thereare several options for surgical decompression and fixation in terms of surgical approach(anterior versusposterior)and fixationtechniques.Surgicalapproach selectiondependsonthepathologyofspinalcordcompressionandthedisrupted spinalcomponentsthatleadtomechanicalinstability.
In the subaxial cervical spine, Dvorak et al. reported the algorithm using SLICStoguidesurgeonstodeterminethesurgicalapproach(9).Burstfractures involve the anterior and middle columns and the bone fragment from the posteriorwallofthevertebralbodyencroachesthespinalcanal.Todecompress and stabilize, the optimal approach is anterior corpectomy and fusion, in combination with reconstruction by structural graft (e.g., cage, autograft, or
allograft).Incontrast,translation/dislocationisbetterhandled usingaposterior approach. It is associated with solid fixation points by pedicle/lateral mass screws,andfacetdislocationcan bedirectlymanipulatedbyopen reductionas opposed to an anterior approach. One exception is that when translation is associatedwithsignificantdischerniation,anteriordiscectomy andfusionwith an attempt to reduce the alignment should be performed first, followed by posterior reconstruction as needed. Hyperextension injury associated withstiff spine, such as diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) or ankylosing spondylitis(AS),necessitatesstabilizationthatinvolvesalongleverarm,andis readilytreated by posteriorfixationwith at leastthreelevels above andbelow thefracturesite.Westerveldetal.reportedthatsurgerywasperformedin54.2% offracturesassociatedwithASandconsistedmainlyofposteriorfixation(10). The surgical approach for CCS is similar to that for degenerative cervical myelopathy. Both anterior and posterior approaches have their pros and cons. For example, anterior surgery is associated with the risk of postoperative dysphagia and injuries to critical structures during approach (e.g., esophagus, recurrentlaryngealnerve,andvertebralartery),whileposteriorsurgeryisknown to have a higher risk of postoperative axial pain and C5 palsy. However,the guidingprincipleistodeterminetheapproachthatcanmosteffectivelyaddress thecompressiveandstabilizationfactors.
FIGURE13.1AnillustrationofDenis’sthreecolumnsinspine.
Source: Denis F.The three column spine and its significance in the classification of acute thoracolumbar spinal injuries. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1983;8:817–831. doi:10.1097/00007632-198311000-00003; With permission from BMJ Publishing Group:
http://bestpractice.bmj.com/best-practice/monograph/819.html
For thoracolumbar fractures, controversies exist with regard to the effectivenessofeachapproach.Therehasbeenlittlestrongevidencetosupport thesuperiorityofonespecificapproachorsurgicaltechniqueforthoracolumbar burst fracture. As a trend, more and more injuries tend to be approached posteriorly since pedicle screw–based fixation has become popularized, and sophisticated decompression procedures such as transpedicular approach, costotransversectomy, and various kinds ofosteotomieshavebeen established. Nonetheless,anteriordecompressionstillhasseveraladvantagesincludingdirect accesstothebony compressionandshorterlevelsoffixationand soshouldbe performedinselectedcases.
TIMINGOFSURGICALDECOMPRESSION
Preclinicalanimalstudieshavedemonstratedthatpersistentcompressionofthe spinal cord after the initial trauma causes ischemia and exacerbates the
secondaryinjurycascade(11,12).Accordingtoasystematicreviewofthetiming ofsurgical interventioninpreclinical animal models, longerdurationof spinal cordcompressionwasrelatedtogreaterlocalischemiaandlargerlesionvolume aswellasworsenedmotorfunctional recovery (13). Another meta-analysisof preclinical studies reported similar findings (14). From a clinical perspective, early surgical decompression is performed to provide relief from mechanical pressureinordertoreducespinalcordcompressionandischemia.
Following from these preclinical results, several studies have emerged to elucidate the effectiveness of early decompression. The SurgicalTreatment of Acute Spinal Cord Injury Study (STASCIS) was a prospective cohort study conducted with 313 patients with cervical SCI (15). The early decompression group(<24hoursafterSCI)was2.8timesaslikelytodemonstrateatleastatwo­gradeimprovementinASIAImpairmentScale(AIS)gradeat6monthsafterSCI compared with the late decompression group (≥24 hours after SCI) after adjustingforconfounders.However,itshouldbenotedthatthereanalysisofthe raw data of the STASCIS study by van Middendorp et al. demonstrated a tendency toward the efficacy of early decompression, but no statistically significant difference (16). Subsequently,a prospective Canadian cohort study that included 84 patients with cervical, thoracic, and lumbar SCI also demonstratedthat surgeryperformed before 24hoursafter SCIwasassociated withatleastatwo-gradeAISimprovementatthetimeofrehabilitationfacility discharge(17). Another prospective cohort study compared early (≤24 hours) with late (>24 hours) surgery for 888 patients with cervical, thoracic, and thoracolumbar SCI (18). Patients with incomplete SCI (AIS B, C, and D) demonstratedimprovement ofan additional6.3points inASIAmotorscorein the early group compared with that in the late group. Furthermore, a retrospectivestudyof70patientswithcervicalSCIshowedthatdecompression conductedbefore8hoursafterSCIwasrelatedtobetterimprovementinSpinal CordIndependenceMeasure(SCIM)scoresandAISgradesat1yearafterSCI (19).Anotherprospectivecohort study focusing on cervical SCI demonstrated thatearlysurgery(≤48hours)reducedpostoperativecomplications,daysinthe intensivecareunit,andmortality(20).Interestingly,theultra-earlysurgery(≤4 hours)iscomparabletotheearlysurgery(between4and24hours)intermsof AISimprovementinthe prospectivecohortstudy(21).Ontheotherhand, one randomized, controlled trial comparing early (≤72 hours) with late (>5 days) surgery for cervical SCI demonstrated that neurological recovery was not different between the early and late surgery (22). However, the discrepancy