Spine Surgery in a Geriatric Population. Is it Really Different?

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Neurosurgery
• Geriatric Medicine

Background:

• Spinal degenerative disorders significantly impact the elderly, often leading to conservative management due to age and comorbidities.
• Early surgical intervention can yield better outcomes in fit geriatric patients compared to prolonged conservative care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the functional outcomes of geriatric patients (over 60 years) who underwent surgical procedures for degenerative spine conditions.
• To compare surgical outcomes between geriatric and non-geriatric cohorts.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of spinal degenerative disease surgeries performed between 2014 and 2016.
• Patients divided into geriatric (>60 years) and non-geriatric cohorts.
• Inclusion of spinal decompression and/or instrumentation procedures; functional outcomes assessed during follow-up.

Main Results:

• 139 cases of spinal degenerative conditions were analyzed, with 65 geriatric and 74 non-geriatric patients.
• Procedures included lumbar spinal fusion (48), non-instrumented lumbar decompression (67), and cervical procedures (24).
• Outcomes assessed functional improvement and spinal disability, with statistical analysis using SPSS 20.

Conclusions:

• Surgical intervention for spinal issues in geriatric patients yields satisfactory outcomes, similar to the general population.
• Appropriate surgical procedure selection based on clear indications is paramount for success.
• Thorough preoperative evaluation, including performance status and comorbidities, is essential for optimizing outcomes in geriatric patients.