Asian Spine Journal (Apr 2023)

The Impact of Rigid Cervical Collars on Outcome of Patients Who Underwent Posterior Cervical Laminectomy and Fusion: A Retrospective Comparative Study

  • Masoud Khadivi,
  • Navid Moghadam,
  • Sajjad Saghebdoust,
  • Furqan Mohammed Yaseen Khan,
  • Mohammad Eslamian,
  • Morteza Faghih Jouibari,
  • Milad Shafizadeh,
  • Mersad Moosavi,
  • Mohammad Zarei,
  • Ramin Kordi,
  • Mohsen Rostami

DOI
https://doi.org/10.31616/asj.2022.0218
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 2
pp. 322 – 329

Abstract

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Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Purpose This study aimed to investigate the cervical collar impact on the functional outcomes of patients after posterior cervical laminectomy and lateral mass screw fixation (PCLF) surgery. Overview of Literature The safety and possible benefits of implementing rigid cervical collars subsequent to PCLF are insufficiently investigated. Methods Patients who underwent PCLF and received postoperative cervical collars from 2018 to 2020 were included in this retrospective cohort study. Their data were compared with an age- and sex-matched group of subjects who did not receive collars after PCLF during the same period. Pain intensity (using the Visual Analog Scale), Neck Disability Index, and quality of life (using 36-item Short Form Health Survey) of the patients were compared at baseline, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Results A total of 36 patients who received cervical collars after surgery and 40 controls were included. At baseline and 1-month follow-up, there were no differences in pain intensity, functional status, and quality of life between the groups. However, at 3 months postoperatively, the quality of life of the subjects with no orthosis was higher than those who received cervical collars (p=0.01). At 6- and 12-month follow-up, there were no differences between the groups in pain intensity, functional status, and quality of life. Conclusions No difference in the pain intensity and functional status of patients who used cervical collars and controls was shown in our study. Patients who did not wear cervical collars had a higher quality of life during the 3-month postoperative evaluation. Future prospective, well-controlled studies with longer follow-ups are needed to further investigate the effects of cervical orthosis on the clinical outcome of patients after PCLF.

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