Related Experiment Videos
Assessing outcome in lumbar disc surgery using patient completed measures
P J Hutchinson1, R J Laing, V Waran
1Academic Department of Neurosurgery, University of Cambridge, UK.
British Journal of Neurosurgery
|July 27, 2000
Summary
Assessing outcomes after lumbar discectomy is challenging. Patient-reported measures like the SF-36 and Roland-Morris questionnaire effectively detect differences in health status and disability following one or two spinal surgery operations.
Area of Science:
- Spinal Surgery
- Orthopedics
- Neurosurgery
Background:
- Assessing patient outcomes after spinal surgery, particularly lumbar discectomy, presents significant challenges.
- Standardized outcome measures are crucial for evaluating the effectiveness of surgical interventions and patient recovery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of four patient-completed measures in assessing outcomes for patients undergoing lumbar discectomy.
- To compare outcomes between patients who had undergone one operation versus two operations for lumbar disc prolapse.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 46 patients with two operations and 54 patients with one operation for lumbar disc prolapse were identified.
- The SF-36 questionnaire (general health), Roland-Morris questionnaire (back disability), modified Roland-Morris (leg disability), and analogue pain scales (back pain and sciatica) were utilized.
Main Results:
- Patients undergoing two operations reported significantly worse general health (SF-36) and higher disability (Roland-Morris) compared to those with one operation.
- Both groups showed greater back disability than leg disability, confirmed by pain scales.
- Two-operation patients reported substantially higher rates of very bad or unbearable back and leg pain.
Conclusions:
- Generic (SF-36) and condition-specific (Roland-Morris) patient-completed measures can effectively differentiate outcomes between patients with one versus two lumbar disc operations.
- These validated patient-reported outcome measures are valuable tools for assessing results in lumbar disc surgery.