Risk Factors Associated with Dysphagia after Anterior Surgery in Treatment for Multilevel Cervical Disorder with Kyphosis

Abstract

Study Design: A retrospective study.Objective: The purpose of this study was to clarify the risk factors associated with dysphagia following anterior surgery treating multilevel cervical disorder with kyphosis based on subgroup of follow-up time.Methods: Totally, 81 patients who suffered from multilevel cervical disorder with kyphosis receiving anterior surgery from July 2018 to June 2020 were reviewed for clinical and radiological outcomes. Patients with dysphagia was defined as dysphagia group and without dysphagia as no-dysphagia group according to follow-up time (1 week, 1-month, 3-month, 6-month and 1-year after surgery). Data was performed to compare between the patients with and without dysphagia.Results: In our study, the occurrence of dysphagia was 67.9%, 44.4%, 34.6%，25.9% and 14.8% at the time of 1 week, 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, and 1 -year after surgery, respectively. Our findings showed that a history of smoking, lower preoperative Swallowing Quality of Life (SWAL-QOL) score, post-operative Cobb angle of C2-7 and change of Cobb angle of C2-7 were associated with dysphagia within 3-month after surgery. Furthermore, a history of smoking, lower preoperative SWAL-QOL score, and post-operative Cobb angle of C2-7 were linked with dysphagia within 6-month after surgery. However, a history of smoking and lower preoperative SWAL-QOL score were found to be risk factors related with dysphagia at at any follow-up.Conclusions: In the present study, many factors were related with dysphagia during 3-month after surgery. What’s more, a history of smoking and lower preoperative SWAL-QOL score were associated with dysphagia at any follow-up. We hope this article can provide a reference for spinal surgeons to predict which patients were susceptible to suffer from dysphagia after anterior surgery in treatment of multilevel cervical disorder with kyphosis.