Clinical and radiological data
Good outcome (Likert 1 or 2) was reported by 14 patients (70%) on
the short-term follow-up (moment 1), and by 9 patients (53%) on the
long-term follow-up (moment 2). Whenever Likert 1-3 was dichotomized,
95% of the patients on the short-term and 83% of the patients on the longterm
reported at least some benefit from the operation. The mean ( ±
standard deviation) VAS leg pain and low back pain on moment 2 was 33
± 34 mm and 41 ± 35 mm, respectively. The mean Cobb’s angle improved
significantly from 13.4 ± 5.1º pre-operatively, to 6.1 ± 3.5º at moment 1,
and 7.1 ± 3.6º at moment 2 (P < 0.001) (Figure 1). On follow-up moment
1 and 2, radiographic examination showed subsidence in 3 and 9 patients,
respectively. Pseudarthrosis around the stand-alone cage was only seen at
follow-up moment 2 in 3 patients (Figure 2). Radiological data is presented
in Table 3.
During the follow-up period, 2 patients were re-operated; 1 patient
with a history of rheumatoid arthritis, underwent pedicle screw fixation
with bilateral interbody fusion because of cage migration with persistent
leg pain; 1 patient with a history of Parkinson’s disease, developed
an osteoporotic fracture two levels above the affected segment which
required vertebroplasty and a long segment pedicle screw fixation.