Effect of Cryotherapy after Spine Surgery

STUDY DESIGN: Historical controlled trial. PURPOSE: To clarify the usefulness of cryotherapy after spine surgery. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Cryotherapy has generally been performed subsequent to surgery on joints and in this application its clinical effects are well understood. However, cryotherapy has yet to be used following spine surgery. Its clinical efficacy in this context is unknown. METHODS: Thirty six patients had undergone one level microendoscopic surgery. Sixteen were enrolled into the cooling group, with the remaining 20 making up the no postoperative cryotherapy control group. Cryotherapy was performed at 5℃ using an icing system. A silicone balloon catheter with a thermo sensor on the tip was placed in the surgical wound. The temperature in the wound was recorded every 30 minutes until the next morning. The relationship between the depth of the sensor and the temperature in the wound were investigated using simple linear regression analysis. Laboratory data, visual analogue scale (VAS) for wound pain and postoperative bleeding were investigated. RESULTS: The mean temperature in the surgical wound was 37.0 in the control group and 35.0℃ in the cooling group (p<0.001). There was a positive correlation between the depth of the thermo sensor and the temperature in the wound in the cooling group (y=0.91x+30.2, r=0.67, p=0.004). There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of laboratory data, VAS or postoperative bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: The temperature in the wound was decreased significantly by spinal surgery cryotherapy.