Effect of topical steroid on soft tissue swelling following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion

Background: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion is the most commonly used surgical approach for treating cervical spine conditions, but it can often lead to postoperative swallowing difficulties. To retrospectively assess the effects of topical triamcinolone acetonide in the anterior cervical surgery on swallowing function. Methods: In this study, a retrospective design was used to select patients aged 18 years and older who were diagnosed with cervical spondylosis and required anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Among them, the patients in the experimental group used triamcinolone acetonide topically in front of the plate during surgery, and the control group was the patients who did not use triamcinolone acetonide. The sex, age, operation time, operation segment, and preoperative soft tissue area were compared between the two groups. Results: There were no significant differences in gender, age, operation time, and segment between the two groups. For the preoperative soft tissue area, triamcinolone acetonide was significantly lower than in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The retrospective results of this study support that topical triamcinolone acetonide as a treatment in anterior cervical surgery can significantly reduce soft tissue swelling, and no effect was found on the operation time, postoperative blood loss, and segment. These findings provide an important basis for clinical care teams to make treatment decisions and confirm the effectiveness of triamcinolone acetonide in improving swallowing function. However, there was a possibility of information collection and selection bias due to the limitations of retrospective studies. To confirm and further advance the use of this treatment, more rigorous prospective randomized controlled trials are recommended to validate these preliminary results.