Trends and Variations in Cervical Spine Surgery in the United States

April 1, 2009 | Journal Article

The authors examined trends in spinal surgeries in Medicare beneficiaries over 65 between 1992-2005. Their analyses showed that rates of cervical spinal fusions had increased 206 percent, and that geographical variation in rates for such surgeries was very large. Indications for these procedures should be more clearly defined.