Effect of Postoperative Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Use on Surgical Outcomes in Multi- and Single-Level Posterior Cervical Fusions.

Introduction: This study aimed to compare the outcomes in patients who received non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) ≤90 days or 90 days-1 year after posterior cervical fusion (PCF) with those in patients who did not receive NSAIDs after surgery. Methods: Using the MarketScan Results: After IPTW, NSAID use ≤90 days of single- and multi-level PCF was not associated with increased readmissions, pseudoarthrosis, or wound complications. However, NSAID use 90 days-1 year increased the odds of pseudoarthrosis and hardware failure (odds ratio 1.157, 95% confidence interval 1.075-1.245, p<0.001). In single-level PCF, NSAIDs use ≤90 days or 90 days-1 year of surgery was not associated with increased odds of complications. No difference was observed in postoperative complications between patients who took COX-2 selective inhibitors and those who took non-selective NSAIDs. Conclusions: NSAID use ≤90 days of surgery does not increase the risk of adverse outcomes for either single- or multi-level PCF, suggesting it may be a viable option for pain management. Postoperative NSAID use 90 days-1 year does not seem to increase complications in single-level PCF. However, caution is advised for multi-level fusions or cases with complex clinical factors, in which NSAID use from 90 days-1-year postoperatively may increase the risk of pseudoarthrosis and hardware failure.