Investigating the Association of Patient Body Mass Index With Posterior Subcutaneous Fat Thickness in the Cervical Spine: A Retrospective Radiographic Study.

BMI is not strongly correlated with SFT in the cervical spine. Although BMI less than 25 or greater than 40 is correlated with respectively decreased or increased cervical SFT, BMI of 25-40 is not correlated with cervical SFT. This is clinically important information for surgeons counseling patients on perioperative risk before undergoing cervical spine procedures, namely infection. Further research delineating the relationship between posterior SFT and surgical site infection in the cervical spine is warranted.