Influence of psychic distress on short-term outcome of lumbar disc surgery

The authors tried to assess neurotic traits of 19 consecutive patients having micro-lumbar discectomy and to verify the relation between psychic distress and surgical outcome. All subjects had unequivocal clinical and myelographic evidence of lumbar disc herniation. Neurotic distress was measured by Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire (M.H.Q.) and was related to M.H.Q. scores of a control group. Subjective ratings of treatment effectiveness and residual pain, assessed by interview at one month after surgery, were related to psychometric data. Results of statistical analysis provided evidence that although M.H.Q. scores of patients group were different from controls' M.H.Q. scores with regard to the tendency to somatize, psychological disturbances played no role in determining outcome after discectomy. Authors suggest that whenever a reliable diagnosis of herniated disc together with correct operative approach are performed, neurotic mechanisms do not usually affect surgical outcome.