Preoperatively receiving epidural steroid injections increases risk of infection after a lumbar spinal fusion, according to a study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery.
Researchers examined a nationwide insurance database of patient records. Using Current Procedural Terminology codes, they identified patients who had undergone a lumbar epidural steroid injection as well as a one- or two-level lumbar posterior spinal fusion procedure.
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The researchers then divided patients into three groups:
• Those who underwent the lumbar spinal fusion within one month after receiving the injection
• Those who underwent the lumbar spinal fusion within one and three months after receiving the injection
• Those who underwent the lumbar spinal fusion within three and six months after receiving the injection
Researchers compared the patient groups with a control cohort of patients who underwent lumbar fusion without receiving epidural steroid injections.
Here are three study findings:
1. The overall three-month infection rate after lumbar spinal fusion procedure was 1.6 percent.
2. The infection risk increased in patients who received the injection within one month or one to three months prior to surgery compared with the control group.
3. The infection risk was not significantly different in patients who underwent the fusion procedure more than three months after the injection as compared to the control group.