CORRELATION BETWEEN QUALITY OF LIFE AND OSTEOLYSIS AROUND LUMBAR PEDICLE SCREWS

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate whether the presence of osteolysis around the pedicle screws affects the quality of life of patients who underwent posterolateral arthrodesis of the lumbosacral spine. Methods: A retrospective study of patients undergoing lumbar posterolateral or lumbosacral arthrodesis due to spinal degenerative disease. CT scans of the operated segments were performed at intervals of 45, 90, 180, and 360 postoperatively. In these tests, the presence of a peri-implant radiolucent halo was investigated, which was considered present when greater than 1mm in the coronal section. Concurrently with the completion of CT scans, the participants completed the questionnaire Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) to assess the degree of disability of the patients. Results: A total of 38 patients were evaluated, and 14 (36.84%) of them showed some degree of osteolysis around at least one pedicle screw at the end of follow-up. Of the 242 analyzed screws, 27 (11.15%) had osteolysis in the CT coronal section, with the majority of these occurrences located at the most distal level segment of the arthrodesis. There was no correlation between the presence of the osteolysis to the quality of life of patients. The quality of life has significantly improved when comparing the preoperative results with the postoperative results at different times of application of ODI. This improvement in ODI maintains linearity over time. Conclusion: There is no correlation between the presence of peri-implant osteolysis to the quality of life of patients undergoing lumbar or posterolateral lumbosacral arthrodesis in the follow-up period up to 360 days. The quality of life in postoperative has significantly improvement when compared to the preoperative period. RESUMEN Objetivo: Evaluar si la presencia de osteólisis alrededor de los tornillos pediculares afecta la calidad de vida de los pacientes que fueron sometidos a artrodesis posterolateral de la columna lumbosacra. Métodos: Estudio retrospectivo de pacientes sometidos a artrodesis lumbar posterolateral o lumbosacra debido a enfermedad degenerativa de la columna vertebral. Se realizaron tomografías computarizadas de los segmentos operados en intervalos de 45, 90, 180 y 360 días después de la cirugía. En estas pruebas, fue investigada la presencia de un halo radiotransparente alrededor del implante, que se consideró presente cuando era mayor que 1 mm en corte coronal. Simultáneamente con la realización de las tomografías se aplicó