Background:Surgical techniques and associated outcomes in treating acute and chronic extra-articular ligament knee injuries are in evolution, and there is question as to whether repair or reconstruction is optimal. Purpose/Hypothesis:The purpose of this study was to compare the subsequent surgery rate between surgical repair versus reconstruction for all extra-articular ligament injuries of the knee utilizing a large database. Our hypothesis was that overall surgical repair of both lateral and medial extra-articular knee injuries would have a higher revision rate than those treated by reconstruction. Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods:The PearlDiver Mariner data set (2010-2019), with 122 million patients, was utilized to generate 2 patient cohorts: those who underwent surgical repair and those who underwent surgical reconstruction of a knee extra-articular ligament injury. All patients had a minimum of 2 years follow-up. Rates of concomitant or subsequent cruciate ligament reconstruction and rates of secondary procedures were assessed and compared between the 2 cohorts. Results:In total, 3563 patients were identified: extra-articular ligament reconstruction was performed for 2405 (67.5%), and repair was performed for 1158 (32.5%). Cruciate ligament reconstruction was performed for 986 (27.7%), of which 888 of 986 (90.1%) were performed on the same day as their extra-articular ligament procedure. At 2-year follow-up, the reconstruction cohort had higher rates of revision surgery compared with the repair cohort (8.2% vs 2.5%; P < .001). Conclusion:Using a large national database, knee extra-articular ligamentous reconstructions (those on both the lateral and the medial side) had a 3.3 times higher rate of revision surgery compared with repair at 2-year follow-up. Further study is needed to investigate the causes leading to revision surgery and to determine the optimal surgical treatment for both medial and lateral extra-articular knee ligament injuries.

Objectives The purpose of this study was to compare the rates of secondary knee surgery for patients undergoing meniscus repair with or without concurrent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLr). Methods Utilizing a large national database, patients with meniscal repair with or without concurrent arthroscopic ACLr were identified. The two cohorts were then queried for secondary surgical procedures of the knee within the following 2 years. Frequency, age distribution, rates of secondary surgery, and type of secondary procedures performed were compared. Results In total, 1,585 patients were identified: meniscus repair with ACLr was performed for 1,006 (63.5%) and isolated meniscal repair was performed for 579 (36.5%). Minimum of two year follow up was present for 487 (30.7% of the overall study population). Secondary surgery rates were not significantly different between meniscus repair with concurrent ACLr and isolated meniscus repairs with an overall mean follow up of 13 years (1.5–24 years) (10.6% vs. 13.6%, p = 0.126). For the 2 year follow up cohort, secondary surgery rates were not significantly different (19.3% vs. 25.6%, p = 0.1098). There were no differences in survivorship patterns between the two procedures, both in the larger cohort (p = 0.2016), and the cohort with minimum 2-year follow-up (p = 0.0586). Conclusion The current study assessed secondary surgery rates in patients undergoing meniscus repair with or without concurrent ACLr in a large patient database. Based on this data, no significant difference in rates of secondary knee surgery was identified.

Background: Patients with Parkinson's disease and shoulder osteoarthritis may be indicated for total shoulder arthroplasty. However, short- and long-term outcomes after total shoulder arthroplasty in this population remain poorly characterized. Methods: A retrospective matched ease-control study was performed using data abstracted from the 2010-2018 PearlDiver Mariner administrative database. Patients undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty were identified, and those with and without the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease were matched (1:10) based on age, gender, Elixhauser comorbidity index, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, obesity, coronary artery disease, and congestive heart failure. Ninety-day incidence of adverse events were compared with multivariate regressions. Implant survival was also assessed for up to 5 years. based on the occurrence of revision surgery. Kaplan-Meier implant survival curves were compared using a log-rank test. Results: In total, 478 patients with Parkinson's disease were matched to 4715 patients without Parkinson's disease. After adjusting for demographic and comorbid factors, patients with Parkinson's disease had significantly higher odds of prosthetic dislocation (odds ratio = 3.07, P = .001), but did not experience increased odds of other 90-day adverse events. Five-year follow-up was available for 428 (893%) of those with Parkinson's disease and 3794 (80.5%) of those without Parkinson's disease. There was 97.2% implant survival in the Parkinson's disease cohort and 97.7% implant survival in the matched control cohort (not significantly different, P = .463). Conclusions: Patients with Parkinson's disease undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty, compared with patients without Parkinson's disease, have 3-fold higher odds of periprosthetic dislocation in the 90-day postoperative period, but equivalent rates of other short-term adverse events as well as implant survival at 5 years. Accordingly, surgeons should be mindful of the short-term risk of implant instability but should have confidence in long-term total shoulder implant success in the Parkinson's disease population. (C) 2022 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. All rights reserved.

Background: Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) can be used to treat focal, full-thickness chondral defects of the knee. However, there is limited large-sample evidence available regarding the incidence, timing, and risk factors for revision surgery after ACI. Purpose: To assess the 5-year incidence, timing, and risk factors for revision surgery after ACI in a large national cohort. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: The 2010-2020 PearlDiver database was queried for patients aged 20 to 59 years who underwent primary ACI of the knee without previous chondral procedures or knee arthroplasty. Revision surgery was defined as subsequent revision ACI, osteochondral allograft transplantation, osteochondral autograft transfer, unicompartmental knee arthroplasty, or total knee arthroplasty within 5 years. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess both incidence and timing of revision surgery. Risk factors evaluated for revision surgery included patient age, sex, body mass index (BMI), Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI) score, and previous or concomitant bony realignment procedures. Results: In total, 533 patients underwent primary ACI and met inclusion criteria. The 5-year incidence of revision surgery was 10.3%, with 63% of revisions occurring in the first 2 years after surgery. Risk factors associated with revision surgery included female sex (odds ratio, 2.58; 95% CI, 1.22-5.45; P = .013) and BMI ≥35 (odds ratio, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.01-4.94; P = .047). There was no relationship between age, ECI score, or previous or concomitant bony realignment procedures and revision surgery at 5 years ( P > .05). Conclusion: In an analysis of 533 patients who underwent ACI, 10.3% required a subsequent articular cartilage procedure or conversion to knee arthroplasty in the first 5 postoperative years. Revision surgery was greatest in the first 2 postoperative years. Female sex and severe obesity (BMI, ≥35) were associated with increased risk of revision surgery, while age, ECI score, and previous or concomitant bony realignment procedures were not. These findings suggest that treatment of chondral defects of the knee with ACI is associated with durable outcomes at the 5-year follow-up.

Background:Osteochondral allograft transplant (OCA) and osteochondral autograft transfer (OAT) replace damaged cartilage with a plug of bone and overlying articular cartilage; however, limited research is available regarding the survival of these osteoarticular grafting procedures. Hypothesis:We hypothesized that patients who underwent OCA would have a higher rate of subsequent surgery over the course of 5 years compared with patients who underwent OAT. Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods:The PearlDiver Mariner administrative database was used to identify patients 10 to 59 years old who had undergone OCA or OAT between 2010 and 2018. All included patients were assessed for subsequent knee surgeries, defined by the occurrence of a subsequent osteochondral procedure (OCA or OAT) or any type of knee arthroplasty for the duration of the time they were included in the data set (maximum of 10 years). Analyses were performed for the total population and those with allograft versus autograft (compared using the Fisher exact test). The 5-year Kaplan-Meier survival curves for operation-free survival were compared using a Mantel-Cox log-rank test. Results:In total, 2598 patients were identified: 1631 patients who underwent OCA (34.5 ± 12.1 years old; 51.6% female) and 967 patients who underwent OAT (32.1 ± 12.9 years old; 51.0% female). Both groups had similarly high rates of subsequent knee surgeries (23.9% vs 21.9%, respectively; P = .249), with no statistical differences in rates of subsequent surgery between groups. Kaplan-Meier survival curves comparing operation-free survival at 5 years indicated no significant difference between the groups (OCA, 88.0% vs OAT, 89.5%; P = .235). Conclusion:Both osteochondral grafting procedures carried a relatively high rate of secondary surgery, which increased with time. The 5-year survival analysis revealed similarly high rates of subsequent surgery.

BACKGROUND:Patients with classic hemophilia can develop joint hemarthroses, degenerative changes, and eventually require total hip arthroplasty (THA). Little data exist concerning THA outcomes in this population, and evidence-based guidelines specifically addressing venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in this population are lacking.METHODS:A retrospective study was conducted using the 2010-2020 PearlDiver MHip database. Patients undergoing primary THA were identified, and those with classic hemophilia were matched 1:10 with non-hemophilia patients based on age, gender, and Elixhauser Comorbidity Index. Ninety-day serious adverse events, minor adverse events, and any adverse events were compared with multivariate analysis. Reoperation at 5 years was assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis.RESULTS:Five hundred eighteen classic hemophilia THA patients were matched 1:10 with 5,193 non-hemophilia patients. On multivariate analysis, those with classic hemophilia had greater odds of aggregated any adverse events (odds ratio [OR] 1.76), serious adverse events (OR 2.30), and minor adverse events (OR 1.52) (P < .001 for each). Patients with classic hemophilia had greater odds of bleeding issues (transfusion, OR 1.98; hematoma, OR 4.23; P < .001 for both), VTE (deep vein thrombosis, OR 2.67; pulmonary embolism, OR 4.01; P < .001 for both), and acute kidney injury (OR 1.63; P = .03). Five-year implant survival was lower in hemophilia patients (91.9%) relative to matched controls (95.3%; P = .009).CONCLUSION:Hemophilia patients undergoing THA had elevated risks of both 90-day bleeding complications (transfusion and hematoma) and VTE (deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism) relative to matched controls. These findings emphasize the need to balance factor replacement and VTE prophylaxis. Although the 5-year implant survival was lower in hemophilia patients, this represented a difference of 3.4% at 5 years, suggesting that THA remains effective in this cohort.

Introduction: Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are genetic connective tissue disorders affecting multiple organ systems that frequently result in connective tissue hyperlaxity and early osteoarthritis. Short- and long-term outcomes after total hip arthroplasty in this cohort remain poorly characterized. Methods: Data were abstracted from the 2010 to 2018 PearlDiver Mariner administrative database. Patients with EDS undergoing total hip arthroplasty for osteoarthritis were identified and matched 1:10 to patients without a diagnosis of EDS. Ninety-day incidence of postoperative complications and hospital readmission were identified and compared. Odds of 90-day adverse events were compared using multivariate logistic regression. Finally, 5-year implant survival was compared using a log-rank test. Significance was set at P < 0.005 after Bonferroni correction. Results: Matching was done for 354 patients with EDS to 3,518 patients without EDS. Patients with EDS had markedly higher rates of periprosthetic dislocation within 90 days of surgery (4.2% dislocation rate in EDS vs. 1.7% in matched control subjects, P = 0.001). On multivariate analysis, patients with EDS continued to have increased odds of dislocation in the 90-day postoperative period (Odds Ratio=2.64, P = 0.001), whereas the rates of the other studied adverse events were not markedly different between groups. At 5 years, 92.7% of patients with EDS and 96.1% of the matched control subjects remained unrevised (significant log rank difference, P = 0.004). Conclusion: Compared with patients without EDS, patients with EDS were found to have a higher rate of perioperative dislocation and markedly lower implant survival at 5 years. These findings are consistent with the increased connective tissue laxity associated with EDS.

CASE:A 29-year-old healthy woman, 19 weeks pregnant, sustained a right posterolateral knee dislocation with multiligamentous injury and a complete occlusive injury to the right popliteal artery yet had adequate distal perfusion. She declined operative management for both the knee dislocation and the arterial injury, and successful collaboration between obstetrical, vascular, and orthopaedic surgical services resulted in limb preservation and restoration of function. CONCLUSION:This is a unique case of traumatic complete popliteal artery occlusion with adequate collateral arterial perfusion after a reducible posterolateral knee dislocation in a pregnant patient that resulted in limb preservation with nonoperative management.

Background: Physical therapy (PT) rehabilitation is critical to successful outcomes after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Later-stage rehabilitation, including sport-specific exercises, is increasingly recognized for restoring high-level knee function. However, supervised PT visits have historically been concentrated during the early stages of recovery after ACLR. Purpose/Hypothesis: To assess the number and temporal utilization of PT visits after ACLR in a national cohort. We hypothesized that PT visits would be concentrated early in the postoperative period. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiological study. Methods: The Humana PearlDiver database was searched to identify patients who underwent ACLR between 2007 and 2017. Patients with additional structures treated were excluded. The mean ± SD, median and interquartile range (IQR), and range of number of PT visits for each patient were determined for the 52 weeks after ACLR. PT visits over time were also assessed in relation to patient age and sex. Results: In total, 11,518 patients who underwent ACLR met the inclusion criteria; the mean age was 32.62 ± 13.70 years, and 42.7% were female patients. Of this study cohort, 10,381 (90.4%) had documented PT postoperatively; the range of PT visits was 0 to 121. On average, patients had 16.90 ± 10.60 PT visits (median [IQR], 16 [9-22]) after ACLR. Patients completed a mean of 52% of their PT visits in the first 6 weeks, 75% in the first 10 weeks, and 90% in the first 16 weeks after surgery. Patients aged 10 to 19 years had the highest number of PT visits (mean ± SD, 19.67 ± 12.09; median [IQR], 18 [12-25]), significantly greater than other age groups ( P < .001). Conclusion: PT after ACLR is concentrated in the early postoperative period. Physicians, therapists, and patients may consider adjusting the limited access to PT to optimize patient recovery. Clinical Relevance: As supervised PT visits may be limited, the appropriate temporal utilization of supervised PT visits must be maximized. Strategies to ensure sessions for later neuromuscular and activity-specific rehabilitation are needed.

Background Prior studies have suggested that preoperative dehydration increases odds of perioperative complications in several areas of orthopedic surgery. This study aimed to evaluate whether preoperative hydration status is associated with the incidence of short-term complications after primary total joint arthroplasty. Methods The 2012–2019 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database was used to explore the relationship between preoperative dehydration (ratio of preoperative BUN divided by preoperative Creatinine (BUN/Creatinine) > 20) and perioperative outcomes of total hip (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients. Univariate comparisons and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to identify specific complications that occurred more often in patients with preoperative dehydration. Results Of 188,629 THA and 332,485 TKA patients, 46.3 and 47.0% had preoperative dehydration, respectively. After controlling for demographics and comorbidities, dehydrated THA patients were no more likely to experience a complication compared to their non-dehydrated counterparts (relative risk [RR] = 0.97, 99.7% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.92–1.03, P = 0.138) nor increased risk of blood transfusion (RR = 1.02, CI = 0.96–1.08, P = 0.408). Similar to THA patients, dehydrated TKA patients were not more likely to have a complication after surgery (RR = 0.97, CI = 0.92–1.03, P = 0.138) and were at no greater risk of transfusion (RR = 1.02, CI = 0.96–1.07, P = 0.408). A sub-analysis covering only patients with BUN and Cr values determined within 24 h after surgery was performed and similarly found no significant increase in perioperative complications or transfusion. Conclusion Overall, preoperative dehydration in patients undergoing THA/TKA did not appear to increase risk of transfusion or other perioperative complications. Further research is needed to characterize the role of hydration prior to elective total joint arthroplasty.

Background: People with cerebral palsy (CP) may be considered for total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, short-and long-term outcomes after THA in this population remain poorly characterized. Methods: Data from patients undergoing THA were abstracted from the 2010-2018 PearlDiver Mariner administrative database. Those with CP were matched to those without CP based on demographic and comorbid factors (1:4 matching). Ninety-day incidence of postoperative complications and hospital readmission was identified and compared. Five-year implant survival (based on need for revision) was also assessed and compared . Perioperative adverse events were then compared using multivariate logistic regression to adjust for any potential residual differences in demographic and comorbid factors after matching. Implant survival over time was compared with Kaplan-Meier plots with a log-rank test. Significance was set at P < .05 for all comparisons. Results: In total, 864 patients with CP were matched to 3448 patients without CP. After adjusting for differences in demographics and comorbidities, multivariate analyses demonstrated patients with CP had higher odds of urinary tract infection (odds ratio [OR] = 2.42, P = .007), pneumonia (OR = 3.77, P = .001), and periprosthetic fracture (OR = 2.55, P = .001). Rates of the other studied adverse events, including readmissions, were not significantly different between groups. At five years, 94.2% of the CP cohort and 95.2% of the non-CP cohort THAs remained unrevised (no difference by log rank, P = .195). Conclusion: Compared with patients without CP, patients with CP undergoing THA were found to have higher odds of perioperative urinary tract infection, pneumonia, and periprosthetic fracture but not other perioperative complications or difference in five-year implant survival. (c) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Introduction: Cell phones are an integral part of daily life but are distractors that can contribute to injury. The present study uses a large national emergency department (ED) database to evaluate the frequency, anatomic location, and type of injuries associated with cell phone use. We hypothesize that orthopaedic injuries related to cell phone use have increased over time and affect certain body parts and age groups more than others. Methods: The 1999 to 2018 Nation Electronic Injury Surveillance System was queried for cell phone-related injuries leading to ED visits (injuries to the head or face or involving a landline were excluded). Demographics, type of orthopaedic injury, and body part injured were tabulated, and injuries were then classified over time as direct mechanical or cell phone use-associated, as well as related to texting compared with talking. Results: A weighted national total of 44,599 injuries met inclusion criteria. A marked increase was noted in the incidence of cell phone use-associated injuries over the time (2,900%). Injuries occurred in persons with mean ± standard deviation age of 36.6 ± 19.9 years old, predominantly in women (60.6%), at home (32.8%) or on the street (22.4%), and while walking (31.6%) or driving (18.16%). The distribution of orthopaedic injuries was defined and occurred most frequently in the neck, lower torso/hip, and ankle. The most common types of injuries were sprain/strain (56.8%) and fracture (32.6%). The proportion of fracture injury types was significantly greater in adults aged greater than 65 (P < 0.001). The proportion of injuries related to texting on a cell phone was greatest in the 13- to 29-year-old age group and declined as age increased. Discussion: Orthopaedic injures related to cell phone use resulting in ED visits have markedly increased over time. The distribution and characteristics of such injuries can be used in targeted public health education and policy development.

Background: There is limited data available on the use of orthoses across varying elective spine surgeries. When previously studied in 2009, inconsistent lumbar postoperative bracing practices were reported. The present study aimed to provide a ten-year update regarding postoperative bracing practices after elective lumbar surgery among United States (U.S.) spine surgeons. Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to attendees of the Lumbar Spine Research Society Annual Meeting (April 2019). The questionnaire collected demographic information, and asked surgeons to identify if they used orthoses postoperatively after ten elective lumbar surgeries. Information regarding type of brace, duration of use, and reason for bracing was also collected. Chi-square tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used for comparisons. Results: Seventy-three of 88 U.S. attending surgeons completed the questionnaire (response rate: 83%). The majority of respondents were orthopaedic surgery-trained (78%), fellowship-trained (84%), and academic surgeons (73%). The majority of respondents (60%) did not use orthoses after any lumbar surgery. Among the surgeons who braced, the overall bracing frequency was 26%. This rate was significantly lower than that reported in the literature ten years earlier (p < 0.0001). Respondents tended to use orthoses most often after stand-alone lateral interbody fusions (43%) (p < 0.0001). The average bracing frequency after lumbar fusions (34%) was higher than the average bracing frequency after non-fusion surgeries (16%) (p < 0.0001). The most frequently utilized brace was an off the shelf lumbar sacral orthosis (66%), and most surgeons braced patients to improve pain (42%). Of surgeons who braced, most commonly did so for 2-4 months (57%). Conclusion: Most surgeon respondents did not prescribe orthoses after varying elective lumbar surgeries, and the frequency overall was lower than a similar study conducted in 2009. There continues to be inconsistencies in postoperative bracing practices. In an era striving for evidence-based practices, this is an area needing more attention.

Study Design. Cross-sectional survey. Objective. Examine patients’ and physicians’ estimates of radiation exposure related to spine surgery. Summary of Background Data. Patients are commonly exposed to radiation when undergoing spine surgery. Previous studies suggest that patients and physicians have limited knowledge about radiation exposure in the outpatient setting. This has not been assessed for intraoperative imaging. Methods. A questionnaire was developed to assess awareness/knowledge of radiation exposure in outpatient and intraoperative spine care settings. Patients and surgeons estimated chest radiograph (CXR) equivalent radiation from: cervical and lumbar radiographs (anterior-posterior [AP] and lateral), computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), intraoperative fluoroscopy, and intraoperative CT (O-arm). Results were compared to literature-reported radiation doses. Results. Overall, 100 patients and 26 providers completed the survey. Only 31% of patients were informed about outpatient radiation exposure, and only 23% of those who had undergone spine surgery had been informed about intraoperative radiation exposure. For lumbar radiographs, patients and surgeons underestimated CXR-equivalent radiation exposures: AP by five-fold (P < 0.0001) and seven-fold (P < 0.0001), respectively, and lateral by three-fold (P < 0.0001) and four-fold (P = 0.0002), respectively. For cervical CT imaging, patients and surgeons underestimated radiation exposure by 18-fold (P < 0.0001) and two-fold (P = 0.0339), respectively. For lumbar CT imaging, patients and surgeons underestimated radiation exposure by 31-fold (P < 0.0001) and three-fold (P = 0.0001), respectively. For intraoperative specific cervical and lumbar imaging, patients underestimated radiation exposure for O-arm by 11-fold (P < 0.0001) and 22-fold (P = 0.0002), respectively. Surgeons underestimated radiation exposure of lumbar O-arm by three-fold (P = 0.0227). Conclusion. This study evaluated patient and physician knowledge of radiation exposure related to spine procedures. Underestimation of radiation exposure in the outpatient setting was consistent with prior study findings. The significant underestimation of intraoperative cross-sectional imaging (O-arm) is notable and needs attention in the era of increased use of such technology for imaging, navigation, and robotic spine surgery. Level of Evidence: 4

PurposeThe use of image-guided stereotactic navigation is increasing in use in treating AIS; however, no studies have investigated perioperative outcomes and short-term adverse events compared with non-navigated procedures. The aim of the present study is to use a large national pediatric database to assess the rate of utilization of intraoperative navigation in pediatric patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and to compare thirty-day outcomes of navigated vs. non-navigated surgery.MethodsThe NSQIP-Pediatric database was queried for cases of posterior fusion for AIS. Patients were stratified by whether or not a concurrent code for stereotactic navigation was used (CPT 61,783). Year of procedure, demographics, comorbidities, operative variables and perioperative adverse outcomes were abstracted and assessed using univariate and multivariate analysis.ResultsOverall, 12,739 non-navigated patients and 340 navigated patients were identified. The use of navigation increased from 0.5% of cases in 2012 to 5.2% of cases in 2018. Demographics, comorbidities, and number of levels fused did not differ between navigated and non-navigated patients. Navigated cases were on average 41 min longer than non-navigated cases (268.6 vs. 309.6 min p<0.001), with 9.84% more cases requiring transfusion (65.0% vs 75.6%, p<0.001). Hospital stay for navigated cases was an average of 0.4 days shorter (3.9 days vs 4.3 days, p=0.001). On multivariate analysis, navigated cases had higher odds of prolonged surgery (OR=2.13, p<0.001) and lower odds of prolonged length of stay (OR=0.28, p<0.001).ConclusionAlthough the use of navigation for AIS posterior fusion was associated with longer operative time, post-operative hospital stay was shorter and other perioperative adverse outcomes were not significantly different between groups.

Background: The transition from International Classification of Diseases, 9th Edition (ICD-9) to the 10th edition (ICD-10) in 2015 increased the number and specificity of diagnostic codes with the goal of facilitating clinical care and research possibilities. Considering the potential to default to less specified ICD-10 codes, the current study evaluated the number of codes utilized for spine-related conditions before versus after the transition to ICD-10. Methods: The numbers of patients with an index encounter for a primary spine-related non-deformity diagnosis codes indexed as "dorsopathies " were abstracted from the Humana PearlDiver dataset. As the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 occurred in 2015, the current study compared the year prior (ICD-9) to the year after (ICD-10). The number of ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes was assessed, and distribution of utilization was compared using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Results:: In 2014, 848,623 patients were assigned one of the 100 unique ICD-9 dorsopathy codes, of which 17 codes (17% of available codes) were used for more than 1% of the patients. In 2016, 840,310 patients were assigned one of the 504 unique ICD-10 dorsopathy codes, of which 21 (4% of available codes) were used for more than 1% of the patients. The top 20 codes in 2014 (ICD-9) and the top 20 codes in 2016 (ICD-10) both represented the majority of the patient population and were not statistically differently represented ( p = 0.819). Further, analysis of ICD-10 codes demonstrated a clear bias toward utilizing less specified codes. Conclusions: Despite a five-fold increase in available diagnostic codes for spine conditions in ICD-10, in the year after implementation providers continued to select a small proportion of less specific diagnostic codes when treating spine patients.