Relating preoperative MCS-12 to microdiscectomy outcomes.

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Orthopedics
• Psychology

Background:

• Mental health significantly influences patient recovery and outcomes across various surgical procedures.
• Understanding the specific impact of mental health on spinal surgery outcomes is crucial for comprehensive patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between preoperative mental health status and patient-reported outcomes (PROMs) and surgical outcomes following lumbar microdiscectomy.
• To compare outcomes between patients with worse versus better mental health.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 210 adult patients undergoing lumbar microdiscectomy.
• Collection of PROMs including Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Short Form-12 (MCS and PCS) at multiple time points.
• Categorization of patients based on preoperative mental health scores (MCS threshold of 50).

Main Results:

• 61% of patients had worse preoperative mental health (MCS ≤ 50).
• No significant differences in 90-day readmissions or 1-year reoperations between groups.
• Patients with worse mental health reported significantly poorer physical function (PCS) and higher disability (ODI) at 3 and 12 months post-surgery.
• Both groups showed significant improvements in all PROMs over time.

Conclusions:

• Worse preoperative mental health is linked to lower baseline and postoperative patient-reported outcomes after microdiscectomy.
• Despite initial differences, patients with varying mental health statuses achieve comparable functional improvements and surgical success rates.
• Mental health status does not appear to influence short-term surgical complication rates like readmissions or reoperations.