Comparison Between Short-Term and 1-Year Patient-Reported Outcome Measures After Anterior Cervical Discectomy and...

Area of Science:

• Spine Surgery
• Orthopedics
• Patient Outcomes

Background:

• Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a common procedure with generally good outcomes.
• There is limited research on the optimal timing for collecting patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) after ACDF.
• PROMs are increasingly used for outcome assessment and reimbursement, highlighting the need to define efficient collection schedules.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the time course of changes in PROMs up to one year following ACDF.
• To identify if improvement plateaus occur within the first year post-surgery.
• To inform optimal PROM collection strategies, potentially reducing unnecessary data gathering.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 768 adult patients undergoing elective ACDF (1-4 levels).
• PROMs (mJOA, VAS Neck/Arm, PCS-12, MCS-12) collected preoperatively and at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively.
• Minimum clinically important difference (MCID) achievement calculated for VAS Neck/Arm and mJOA.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in all PROMs were observed from baseline to 3 months post-ACDF (P<0.001).
• No significant differences in PROM scores were found between the 3-6 month and 6-12 month postoperative intervals.
• The proportion of patients achieving MCID did not change significantly after the 3-month postoperative mark.

Conclusions:

• PROM scores and MCID achievement appear to stabilize by 3 months after ACDF.
• Routine PROM collection beyond 3 months may not be essential for assessing outcomes after ACDF.
• Optimizing PROM collection schedules could enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of spine surgery outcome studies.