With the aging population, the number of geriatric patients (>65 years old) with spinal degenerative diseases requiring surgical treatment has increased significantly. More challenges are faced in treating such patients since they’re often with multiple comorbidities, which increase the surgical risk and complication rates, especially in elderly patients (>75 years old). Moreover, spinal degeneration maybe severe and complicated in geriatric patients. Disc herniation, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, scoliosis may coexist, in which cases major operation will increase the surgical risk, while minor operation may not obtain satisfactory clinical effect. The choice of surgical strategy is thus very important. In addition, osteoporosis is very common in geriatric patients. Patients with osteoporosis have higher risk of implant failure.
Recently, geriatric spine surgery has had a significant development in spinal surgery techniques, perioperative management, and enhanced recovery after surgery. For example, minimally invasive surgery decreased the operative trauma, endoscopic surgery under local anesthesia avoided the risk of anesthesia, new drugs are developed to treat osteoporosis. By reducing surgical risks and allowing surgery performance for patients who cannot implement anesthesia, these measures could improve surgical outcomes in geriatric patients.
While focusing on minimally invasive techniques, preoperative assessment, perioperative management, complication prevention, instrument improvement for osteoporosis, etc., this Research Topic hopes to collect and showcase the new cutting-edge concepts and new technologies in geriatric spine surgery.
Topics of interest include the following, but are not limited to:
- New techniques for geriatric spine surgery highlighting the characteristics of geriatric patients.
- Surgical strategies for degenerative spinal deformities: fixed segment and osteotomy options.
- Internal fixation technology, instruments improvement, medical treatment, long-term follow-up results in geriatric patients with osteoporosis.
- Perioperative management of geriatric patients: including preoperative risk assessment, intraoperative management, postoperative delirium, and postoperative treatment.
- Palliative treatment strategies in elderly patients, including surgery and conservative treatment.
With the aging population, the number of geriatric patients (>65 years old) with spinal degenerative diseases requiring surgical treatment has increased significantly. More challenges are faced in treating such patients since they’re often with multiple comorbidities, which increase the surgical risk and complication rates, especially in elderly patients (>75 years old). Moreover, spinal degeneration maybe severe and complicated in geriatric patients. Disc herniation, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, scoliosis may coexist, in which cases major operation will increase the surgical risk, while minor operation may not obtain satisfactory clinical effect. The choice of surgical strategy is thus very important. In addition, osteoporosis is very common in geriatric patients. Patients with osteoporosis have higher risk of implant failure.
Recently, geriatric spine surgery has had a significant development in spinal surgery techniques, perioperative management, and enhanced recovery after surgery. For example, minimally invasive surgery decreased the operative trauma, endoscopic surgery under local anesthesia avoided the risk of anesthesia, new drugs are developed to treat osteoporosis. By reducing surgical risks and allowing surgery performance for patients who cannot implement anesthesia, these measures could improve surgical outcomes in geriatric patients.
While focusing on minimally invasive techniques, preoperative assessment, perioperative management, complication prevention, instrument improvement for osteoporosis, etc., this Research Topic hopes to collect and showcase the new cutting-edge concepts and new technologies in geriatric spine surgery.
Topics of interest include the following, but are not limited to:
- New techniques for geriatric spine surgery highlighting the characteristics of geriatric patients.
- Surgical strategies for degenerative spinal deformities: fixed segment and osteotomy options.
- Internal fixation technology, instruments improvement, medical treatment, long-term follow-up results in geriatric patients with osteoporosis.
- Perioperative management of geriatric patients: including preoperative risk assessment, intraoperative management, postoperative delirium, and postoperative treatment.
- Palliative treatment strategies in elderly patients, including surgery and conservative treatment.
