Surgical site infection following isolated lumbar discectomy increases odds of revision lumbar surgery within first 6 months, but not beyond

Lumbar discectomy is a commonly performed surgery following which surgical site infection (SSI) may occur. Prior literature has suggested that, following SSI related to lumbar fusion, the rate of subsequent lumbar surgeries is increased over prolonged periods of time. This has not been studied specifically for lumbar discectomy. To define factors associated with SSI following lumbar discectomy and determine if subsequently matched cohorts with and without SSI have differential rates of subsequent lumbar surgery beyond irrigation and debridement (I&Ds) over time. Retrospective cohort study. Adult patients undergoing isolated primary lumbar laminotomy/discectomy were identified from the 2010-2021 M157 PearlDiver database. Exclusion criteria included: age