The aim of this study was to determine whether
smokers (more than 20 cigarettes per day) had higher rate of
pseudoarthrosis than the non-smokers after lumbar fusion. A
retrospective study was designed with 100 patients (50 smokers
and 50 non-smokers). All the patients were operated on,
by doing a posterolateral fusion with instrumentation (transpedicular
fixation), due to degenerative pathology of the lumbar
spine. Fifty-three patients were males and 47 were females,
with an average age of 49 ±10 years. To determinate pseudoarthrosis
two types of evaluation were performed:
Radiographic evaluation in plain radiographs at 6 and 24
months after surgery and clinical assessment. Seven out of
100 patients were diagnosed as pseudoarthrosis (2 non-smokers
and 5 smokers) and, of the remaining 93 patients, 48 were
non-smokers and 28 smokers (p=0.24). No evidence was
found of correlation between cigarette smoking and a higher
rate of pseudoarthrosis in patients with an instrumented arthrodesis
of the lumbar spine.

The aim of this study was to determine whether
smokers (more than 20 cigarettes per day) had higher rate of
pseudoarthrosis than the non-smokers after lumbar fusion. A
retrospective study was designed with 100 patients (50 smokers
and 50 non-smokers). All the patients were operated on,
by doing a posterolateral fusion with instrumentation (transpedicular
fixation), due to degenerative pathology of the lumbar
spine. Fifty-three patients were males and 47 were females,
with an average age of 49 ±10 years. To determinate pseudoarthrosis
two types of evaluation were performed:
Radiographic evaluation in plain radiographs at 6 and 24
months after surgery and clinical assessment. Seven out of
100 patients were diagnosed as pseudoarthrosis (2 non-smokers
and 5 smokers) and, of the remaining 93 patients, 48 were
non-smokers and 28 smokers (p=0.24). No evidence was
found of correlation between cigarette smoking and a higher
rate of pseudoarthrosis in patients with an instrumented arthrodesis
of the lumbar spine.