Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 26, 2026
Three-dimensional Navigation-guided, Prone, Single-position, Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion Technique
Published on: July 15, 2021
Long-term quality of life after posterior cervical foraminotomy for radiculopathy
Ryan W Faught1, Ephraim W Church2, Casey H Halpern3
1Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Objectives:
Cervical radiculopathy may cause symptoms and loss of function that can lead to a significant reduction in health related quality of life (HRQOL). As part of a comprehensive review of long-term outcomes, we examined HRQOL in a large cohort of patients undergoing posterior cervical foraminotomy (FOR) for radiculopathy.
Patients And Methods:
338 patients who underwent FOR between 1990 and 2009 participated in a telephone interview designed to measure symptomatic and functional improvements following surgery. We also administered the EQ-5D, a standardized tool for assessing HRQOL. We analyzed this data for associations between patient and treatment characteristics, improvements in symptoms and function, and HRQOL as measured by the EQ-5D.
Results:
Mean follow-up was 10.0 years. The average EQ-5D at follow-up was 0.81±0.18, and improvements in pain, weakness and function as well as ability to return to work correlated with improved EQ-5D score (p<0.0001). There was no correlation between length of follow-up and EQ-5D score (p=0.980). Additionally, there was no difference between mean EQ-5D score for soft disc versus osteophyte pathology (0.84 versus 0.81, p=0.21).
Conclusion:
These data provide evidence that FOR for cervical radiculopathy is associated with improved HRQOL at long-term follow-up. The lack of correlation between length of follow-up and HRQOL suggests that FOR is a durable treatment option. Moreover, FOR is associated with improved HRQOL whether radiculopathy is due to soft disc or osteophyte pathology.