%0 Journal Article %A BENJAMIN C. MAYO %A DUSTIN H. MASSEL %A ALEM YACOB %A ANKUR S. NARAIN %A FADY Y. HIJJI %A NATHANIEL W. JENKINS %A JAMES M. PARRISH %A KRISHNA D. MODI %A WILLIAM W. LONG %A NADIA M. HRYNEWYCZ %A THOMAS S. BRUNDAGE %A KERN SINGH %T A Review of Vitamin D in Spinal Surgery: Deficiency Screening, Treatment, and Outcomes %D 2020 %R 10.14444/7059 %J International Journal of Spine Surgery %P 447-454 %V 14 %N 3 %X In this review, we discuss the demonstrated value of vitamin D in bone maintenance, fracture resistance, spinal health, and spine surgery outcomes. Despite this, the effect of vitamin D levels in spine surgery has not been well described. Through this review of literature, several conclusions were drawn. First, despite the fact that a high number of spine surgery patients are vitamin D deficient, screening is not commonly performed. Second, adequate vitamin D levels will not be achieved in a majority of these patients without supplementation. Last, inadequate vitamin D levels may increase the risk of pseudarthrosis. Given these findings, we suggest that many patients undergoing spinal surgery could be treated with vitamin D supplementation prior to surgery without the need for confirmatory testing for vitamin D deficiency. This is a more cost-effective method than screening all patients. However, future randomized trials and cost-effectiveness analyses are needed to determine the ultimate effects of vitamin D supplementation on clinical morbidity and surgical outcomes. %U http://www.ijssurgery.com/content/ijss/14/3/447.full.pdf