Smoking as a Predictor of Negative Outcome in Lumbar Spinal Fusion

Study Design. A review of the smoking habits in 426 patients who had been followed prospectively for 2 years after a lumbar spinal fusion procedure was conducted. Objective. To analyze the effect of pre- and postoper-ative smoking on clinical and functional outcome after lumbar spinal fusion. Summary of Background Data. Several animal models have shown a negative effect of nicotine on spinal fusion. At this writing, the clinical effect of nicotine on spinal fusion has not been fully clarified. Methods. The study comprised 426 patients who un-derwent lumbar spinal fusion between 1993 and 1997. These patients received a mailed questionnaire regarding their tobacco consumption before and after their surgery. All other data, including preoperative clinical and func