The Impact of Smoking on Radiological Outcomes in Patients After Total Arthroplasty of the Cervical Intervertebral Discs

Abstract

Objective: to investigate the impact of smoking on radiological outcomes in patients after one- and two-level total arthroplasty (ТА) of the cervical intervertebral discs.Material and methods. A single-center retrospective observational cohort study was performed. The study included 127 medical records of patients who had undergone one- or two-level TA of the cervical intervertebral discs for their degenerative disease. The medical records were divided into two groups: 32 smokers and 95 nonsmokers.Results. No statistically significant differences were found in the values of cervical lordosis and the movement amplitude of the operated segments in the postoperative period. Comparing the values of the movement amplitude of the operated segments in the group of smoking patients demonstrated significant pre- and postoperative differences in the values of the above radiological parameter (p = 0.017). Comparing the rates of loss of segmental motion of the operated segments and the incidence of heterotopic ossification did not reveal any significant differences. Analysis of Kaplan-Meier curves showed no statistically significant differences between the types of implants used in smoking patients.Conclusion. Smoking has no statistically significant impact on radiological outcomes in patients after one- or two-level ТА of the cervical intervertebral discs.

Keywords

• cervical spine
• intervertebral disc
• degenerative disease
• total arthroplasty
• smoking