By Laura Dyrda
A new study published in Spine examines the association between perioperative vitamin D levels and non-union rates after elective spinal fusion.
There were 133 patients involved in the study with the cervical spine fused in 49 percent of the patients and the lumbar spine fused in 47 percent of the patients. The thoracic spine was fused in 4 percent of the patients.
Here are five key findings from the study:
1. There were 31 patients — 23 percent — who had a vitamin D deficiency at the time of surgery. There were 84 percent of the patients who showed fusion eight months after surgery.
