ArticleOrthopedic reviews2026
Diabetes and Diabetic Neuropathy Significantly Increase Short- and Long-Term Complications Following Single-Level Posterolateral Lumbar Fusion: A Propensity- Matched Cohort Study.
Article in Orthopedic reviews, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Diabetes is a well-established risk factor for postoperative complications following lumbar fusion; however, the independent impact of diabetic neuropathy on outcomes after single-level posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF) remains incompletely defined. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed using a multicenter database of adults undergoing single-level PLF. Patients were stratified into three groups: non-diabetic, diabetic without neuropathy, and diabetic with neuropathy. Propensity score matching was used to balance demographics and comorbidities, generating three matched comparisons. Ninety-day medical and two-year mechanical and surgical complications were compared using risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Among patients without neuropathy, diabetes was associated with higher 90-day postoperative infection (5.0% vs 4.0%, RR 1.25), sepsis (2.3% vs 1.7%, RR 1.33), and wound disruption (3.8% vs 2.9%, RR 1.31). At two years, this group had higher implant-associated infection (2.9% vs 2.3%, RR 1.26) and revision surgery (6.5% vs 5.7%, RR 1.14), with similar pseudarthrosis. Patients with diabetic neuropathy had substantially higher rates of infection, sepsis, wound disruption, pneumonia, mechanical complications, implant-associated infection, and revision surgery, with comparable pseudarthrosis. Direct comparison of diabetic patients with vs without neuropathy showed neuropathy independently increased postoperative infection, wound disruption, implant-associated infection, and revision surgery, with similar thromboembolic events and pseudarthrosis.# ConclusionsDiabetes increases short-term medical and long-term surgical complications following single-level PLF, and coexisting diabetic neuropathy further amplifies these risks, underscoring the importance of neuropathy status in preoperative risk and perioperative management.
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