Introduction: The Japanese Scoliosis Society (JSS) planned to make a longitudinal survey of the mortality and morbidity (M&M) of spinal deformity surgery and established the M&M Committee in 2012. We reported the analysis of the surgical complication (M&M) survey in 2012.

Methods: A request to participate in this survey was mailed to all JSS members. Questionnaires were sent by email to members who agreed to cooperate, and their answers were obtained. Diagnosis was grouped into idiopathic scoliosis, congenital scoliosis, neuromuscular scoliosis, spondylolisthesis, pediatric kyphosis, and adult spinal deformity. Complications were grouped into death, blindness, neurological deficit, infection, massive bleeding, hematoma, pneumonia, cardiac failure, DVT/PE, gastrointestinal perforation, and instrumentation failure.

Results: A total of 2,906 patients were reported from sixty-eight hospitals: idiopathic 488, congenital 91, neuromuscular 82, others 214, spondylolisthesis 1,241, pediatric kyphosis 41, and adult spinal deformity 749. Complications were death in 3, neurological deficit in 49, early infection in 37, late infection in 14, massive bleeding in 91, hematoma in 18, pneumonia in 6, cardiac failure in 1, DVT/PE in 9, gastrointestinal perforation in 2, and instrumentation failure in 73. The complication rate of having a neurological deficit, massive bleeding, and instrumentation failure was 4.88%, 7.32%, and 4.88% respectively in patients with pediatric kyphosis, and 3.07%, 8.01%, and 5.21% respectively in patients with an adult spinal deformity. The complication rate of early infection was 4.88% in the patients with pediatric kyphosis.

Conclusions: The complication rates of pediatric kyphosis and adult spinal deformity were high.