The Effect of Obesity on Revision Discectomy After Single-level Lumbar Discectomy

The prevalence of obesity has been rising, creating a major public health concern. While several studies have shown obesity to increase the risk of surgical complications, few have analyzed its effects on reoperation, specifically after single-level lumbar discectomy. Data was obtained using the commercially available Explorys software that houses de-identifi ed data for several major healthcare systems. A database search was used to find all patients who had undergone a lumbar discectomy. Scoliosis, spondylolisthesis, smoking history and depression were excluded as possible confounding variables, after which 25,960 patients remained. Of them, 690 were found to have undergone a revision discectomy within 2 years. Those who were obese were found to have a relative risk of 1.64 for revision discectomy compared to those who were non-obese, 95% confi dence interval (95%CI) 1.32–2.03, p < 0.0001. These findings contribute to the importance of modifiable risk factor assessment preoperatively and their effects on surgical complications. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 29(1):10-12, 2020) Key words: revision, discectomy, obesity, Explorys, herniated disc, reoperation, risk factor