Purpose To report our 11-year minimum clinical and radiological outcomes, as well as complications of the Charite III total disc replacement (TDR). Methods A total of 35 patients indicated for total disc replacement were implanted with the Charite III prosthesis. Clinical evaluation included visual analog scale (VAS) for back pain and the Oswestry disability index (ODI). Radiological parameters of intervertebral disc height (IDH), range of motion (ROM), lumbar lordosis, lumbar scoliosis and prosthesis position were evaluated. Complications and reoperation rates were also assessed. Results Thirty-two patients had a minimum 11-year follow-up, and 33 prostheses were implanted. The mean follow-up time was 11.8 years, ranging from 11.3 to 13.8 years. Twenty-eight patients (87.5 %) had a successful outcome, as defined by the FDA. Reoperation was performed in 2 patients for adjacent segment degeneration and pedicle fracture (1 case each). Both VAS and ODI scores showed significant improvement compared to baseline. At the final follow-up, the ROM of both the index-and adjacent-level showed an obvious decrease. The IDH of the index level showed a tendency to decrease, but the difference was not significant. The IDH of adjacent levels were not significantly affected by the surgery. Mean lumbar lordosis was increased at the final follow-up, and lumbar scoliosis over 3°was observed in 12 patients (37.5 %), with a mean angle of 5.6°(range 3°-12°). Of all 35 prostheses, 15 were left-shifted, 3 were right-shifted and 14 were just in the middle. In the coronal plane, 25 were rated as ideally placed, 5 were discretely shifted, 4 were slightly shifted and 1 was markedly shifted. In the sagittal plane, only 12 prostheses were rated as ideally placed, 14 were discretely shifted and 9 were suboptimally placed. Prosthesis subsidence was noted in 3 (9.4 %) patients (the subsidence distances were 3.1, 4.2 and 2.8 mm, respectively). Heterotopic ossification was detected in 25 segments (71.4 %), consisting of Class-I heterotopic ossification in 7 segments (20.0 %), Class-II in 9 segments (25.7 %), and Class-III in 9 segments (25.7 %). Class-IV heterotopic ossification was not observed. Conclusion The cumulative survival was 100 % at a mean follow-up of 11.8 years. Clinical and radiological results were satisfactory and long-term clinical results were maintained for a mean follow-up of 11.8 years. Reoperation and complication rates are acceptable, and our study does not substantiate the fear of reoperation or late complications. The results of our long-term follow-up indicate that, with strict indication, TDR is a safe and effective procedure as an alternative to lumbar fusion.

A case–control study was conducted to examine the association between two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in exon 2 of the bone morphogenetic protein-2 gene (BMP-2) and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL), and to investigate whether SNPs of the Ser37Ala (T/G) and the Ser87Ser (A/G) in the BMP-2 gene are associated with genetic susceptibility to OPLL and its severity in Chinese subjects. The Ser87Ser (A/G) SNP has been implicated in bone mineral density (BMD) and increases the risk of OA in women. The Ser37Ala (T/G) SNP is associated with BMD and the rate of bone loss in osteoporosis and osteoporosis fractures. A total of 57 OPLL patients and 135 non-OPLL controls were studied. Radiographs of the cervical spine were analyzed to determine the presence and the severity of OPLL. The association of two SNPs with the occurrence and the extent of OPLL were statistically evaluated. There was a significant association between the Ser37Ala (T/G) polymorphism and the occurrence of OPLL in the cervical spine. However, no significant association was found between the Ser37Ala (T/G) polymorphism and the more number of ossified cervical vertebrae in OPLL patients. There was a significant association between the Ser87Ser (A/G) polymorphism and the more number of ossified cervical vertebrae in OPLL patients. However, there was no statistical difference between the Ser87Ser (A/G) SNP and the occurrence of OPLL in the cervical spine. In addition, the Ser87Ser (A/G) polymorphism in male patients and in female patients showed no statistical difference between cases and controls. The present results demonstrate that BMP-2 Gene is not only a factor associated with the occurrence of OPLL, but also a factor related to more extensive OPLL. The “G” allele in the Ser37Ala (T/G) polymorphism is associated with the occurrence of OPLL, but not more extensive OPLL in the cervical spine. The “G” allele in the Ser87Ser (A/G) polymorphism promotes the extent of OPLL, whereas the “A” allele in the Ser87Ser (A/G) polymorphism restricts ectopic ossification in the cervical spine at least in Chinese subjects.

Background Studies have shown that adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) is a common complication after posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF), even a second surgery is required for some patients. It remains unclear whether the non-fusion surgery can relieve ASD. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the clinical outcomes of Topping-off surgery (fusion combined with Coflex) and PLIF for degenerative lumbar disease (DLD) and the efficacy on preventing ASD. Method A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 99 patients with DLD from January 2011 to December 2014, who were performed by Topping-off surgery (L4–5 PLIF + L3–4 Coflex, n = 45) or PLIF (L3–5 PLIF, n = 54). All patients included in the analysis had a minimum of 3 years of follow-up. Clinical data were used to assess the clinical efficacy, and radiographic parameters were measured for evaluation of the incidence of ASD. Results The mean ages of Topping-off group and PLIF group were 53.5 and 65.7 years old, respectively ( P < 0.05). The surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, Oswestry disability index (ODI), and visual analog scale (VAS) were significantly different between the two groups ( P < 0.05). Intervertebral mobility (L2-L3) of the Topping-off group was not changed significantly at 3 years after surgery than before ( P > 0.05), while that of PLIF group was increased considerably ( P < 0.05). As to intergroup comparison, intervertebral mobility (L2-L3) of Topping-off group was superior to those of the PLIF group ( P < 0.05). Surprisingly, there was no significant difference in the general adjacent segment mobility (GASM) at L2–4 of the Topping-off group and intervertebral mobility (L2–L3) of PLIF group at 3 years after surgery ( P > 0.05). Lumbar MRI at three post-operative years indicated that the modified Pfirrman grading of disc (L2–L3) in the Topping-off group was much better than that of the PLIF group ( P < 0.05). Conclusion This study showed that Topping-off surgery had the benefits of less invasiveness, less bleeding, and comparable clinical efficacy as PLIF for DLD. The segment with Coflex insertion undertook part of the mobility and stress in the proximal lumbar spine, which is conducive to alleviating ASD.

Heart disease comorbidity is an independent risk factor for both medical and major medical complications. Smoking, fusion level, and LOS are independent risk factors for medical complication. Diabetes is the independent risk factors for major medical complications.