adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients (3 boys, 24 girls; mean age 15 years) underwent instrumentation for posterior fusion. 29 lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSCS) patients (15 men, 14 women; mean age 71 years) underwent laminectomy for posterior decompression. Plasma levels of soluble fibrin monomer complex (SFMC), D-dimer, and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) were measured at 1 day preoperatively and on postoperative days (PODs) 1, 3, and 7. RESULTS: The SFMC level showed significant increases on PODs 1 and 3 in the AIS patients and on POD 1 in the LSCS patients. The D-dimer level showed significant increases on PODs 1, 3, and 7 in both groups. The PAI-1 levels showed significant increases on POD 7 in the AIS patients and on PODs 1, 3, and 7 in the LSCS patients. CONCLUSION: The significantly continuously higher postoperative PAI-1 levels in older patients could be associated with the development and progression of symptomatic VTE.
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INTRODUCTIONVenous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common complication after spinal surgery in adults. It is important to identify postoperative VTE, particularly fatal pulmonary embolism (PE) and symptomatic PE, which can be life threatening. Antithrombotic drugs are administered to reduce the postoperative risk of VTE, but these medications cannot be administered during or after spinal surgery because of the risk ABSTRACT AIM: The purpose of this study is to investigate the differences in changing of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis markers before and after spinal surgery in adolescent and elderly patients.