Cervical Sagittal Alignment and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Posterior Cervical Fusion: A Longitudinal Comparative Cohort Study.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-2026
Publication Title
International Journal of Spine Surgery
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The impact of cervical sagittal parameters on patient-reported outcomes (PRO) after posterior cervical fusion (PCF) remains inconclusive. We sought to evaluate whether normative sagittal cervical alignment was independently associated with improved PRO.
METHODS: Retrospective review of consecutive patients who underwent PCF for degenerative conditions from January 2016 to December 2020 at a single institution with multiple surgeons. Cervical sagittal vertical axis (cSVA), McGregor's slope (McGS), and T1 slope minus C2-7 lordosis (T1S-CL) were measured using standing neutral lateral radiographs at preoperative and 1 year postoperatively. Normative parameters were defined as cSVA ≤4 cm, -5° ≤ McGS ≤ 15°, and T1S-CL < 20°. The primary outcome was the minimum clinically important difference (MCID) among validated PRO (12-item Short Form Mental and Physical Component Summaries, Neck Disability Index, neck and arm numeric rating scale, and modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association scale) collected prospectively preoperatively, 6 months, and 1 year postoperatively. Univariate analysis was used to compare demographics, operative characteristics, and proportions achieving MCID between parameter groups. Multiple logistic regression models were used to adjust for confounders. Radiographic parameters were included as the predictor.
RESULTS: One hundred and four patients (54 men and 50 women with a mean age of 61.8 ± 10.6 years), were included. Operative levels ranged from C2 to T3, with 4 to 8 operative levels. Normative cSVA patients were younger (59.4 vs 67.5 years,
CONCLUSION: In this retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing multi-level PCF, achievement of MCID in PRO was comparable between patients with normative and non-normative postoperative cervical sagittal alignment.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Normative cervical cSVA, McGS, or T1S-CL following PCF surgery is not independently associated with improvement in PRO.
First Page
8892
Last Page
8892
Recommended Citation
Griepp DW, Lawless MH, Kaufmann AB, Anton GM, Turnbull JP, Caskey J, et al. [Smith A]. Cervical sagittal alignment and patient-reported outcomes in posterior cervical fusion: A longitudinal comparative cohort study. Int J Spine Surg. 2026. doi: 10.14444/8892. PMID: 42161580.
DOI
10.14444/8892
ISSN
2211-4599
PubMed ID
42161580