Marijuana Use Before ACDF: More Reoperations But No Differences in Pain, PROMS
Using marijuana before ACDF didn't lead to greater post-op pain management needs, but there was a higher rate of reoperation.
What’s the Claim?
This retrospective comparative study found that marijuana use before anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) was associated with a substantially increased risk of a cervical spine reoperation after ACDF, but it was not associated with differences in the amount of postoperative opioids used or the magnitude of improvement in PROMs after controlling for relevant confounding variables. The effect size on the finding about reoperation was large, with an odds ratio estimate of over 5, and even the low end of the 95% CI suggesting more than a doubling of the odds of reoperation.
