Does the type or extent of back surgery affect the incidence of reoperation?
The extent and type of initial back surgery do not influence the likelihood of requiring a subsequent reoperation.
The incidence of reoperation after back surgery is independent of diagnosis and type of surgery performed. Despite different anatomic reasons for surgical intervention, the success of different types of surgery are not influenced by the factors identified in this study. More extensive surgery does not prevent nor predispose a patient to the need for further surgery.
Hu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.