Prognostic Factors for Satisfaction After Decompression Surgery for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Spinal Surgery

Background:

• Surgical treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) offers significant benefits for pain and function.
• However, a notable percentage of patients report dissatisfaction even after surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze clinical outcomes and identify factors predicting patient satisfaction one year post-posterior decompression for LSS.
• To understand the predictors of dissatisfaction following LSS surgery.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter registry study involving 2562 patients undergoing posterior decompression for LSS.
• Exclusion criteria included prior spine surgery or fusion; analysis focused on patient satisfaction and prognostic factors.

Main Results:

• 62.4% of patients were satisfied at 1-year follow-up, with 15.1% reporting dissatisfaction.
• Dissatisfied patients showed minimal or no improvement in outcome measures compared to baseline.
• Factors associated with dissatisfaction included smoking, long leg pain duration, comorbidities, and poor baseline walking capacity.

Conclusions:

• Smoking, prolonged leg pain, and neurological/cancerous diseases are associated with increased patient dissatisfaction after LSS surgery.
• Good baseline walking capacity is a positive predictor of patient satisfaction 1 year after surgery.