Lumbar Fusion: Two Decades of Change - Takeaways - MDSpire

Lumbar Fusion: Two Decades of Change

Investigators find rising use of complex lumbar fusion procedures and increasing hospital costs in the US.

  • By

  • Kathryn Wighton

  • March 19, 2026

  • 2 min

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  • 1

    Inflation-adjusted inpatient hospital costs for lumbar fusion rose from $3.86 billion in 2002 to $14.1 billion in 2023.

  • 2

    In 2023, there were 274,750 lumbar fusion procedures performed, with a mean patient age of 63 years and 52% identifying as female.

  • 3

    The age-adjusted rate of lumbar fusion peaked at 89.9 per 100,000 individuals in 2016 before declining to 80 per 100,000 by 2023.

  • 4

    Combined anterior-posterior fusions increased from 19.6% in 2016 to 41.1% in 2023, while single-level single-column fusions declined significantly.

  • 5

    Surgical indications shifted, with fusion rates for scoliosis and spinal stenosis increasing significantly, while those for disc degeneration declined.

Original Source(s)

Lumbar Fusion: Two Decades of Change

  • by Kathryn Wighton

  • March 19, 2026

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