Impact of Preoperative Marijuana Use on Functional Recovery and Complications After Spinopelvic Fusion in Adult Spinal Deformity.

CED Clinical Relevance  #66Notable Clinical Interest  Emerging findings or policy developments worth monitoring closely.
🔬 Evidence Watch  |  CED Clinic
Journal Neurosurgery practice
Study Type Cohort
Population Human participants
Why This Matters

This item covers developments relevant to cannabis medicine and clinical practice. Clinicians monitoring evidence in this area should review the source material.

Clinical Summary

With the rising prevalence of marijuana use and increasing rates of complex spinal deformity surgeries, understanding the impact of cannabis on perioperative outcomes is crucial. Previous studies yield mixed results on fusion success, complications, and opioid use in spine surgery, but none have focused on long-segment spinopelvic fusions. This retrospective cohort study analyzed 155 adult patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion from the pelvis to L2 or higher between 2015 and 2023. Patients were stratified by preoperative marijuana use (n = 34 users vs n = 121 nonusers). Baseline demographics, surgical parameters, clinical outcomes [Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), visual analog scale], radiographic measures (pelvic tilt, lumbar lordosis, and sagittal vertical axis), and complications were compared using Marijuana users had higher preoperative opioid dependence (64.7% vs 42.9%, In this cohort, preoperative marijuana use was not associated with statistically significant differences

Dr. Caplan’s Take

“This is a development worth tracking. The clinical implications will become clearer as more evidence accumulates.”

Clinical Perspective
🧠 Clinicians should review this item in the context of their current practice and patient population.

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