The Impact of Comorbid Mental Health Disorders on Complications Following Cervical Spine Surgery With Minimum 2-Year Surveillance

The use of the Core Yellow Flags Index for the assessment of psychosocial distress in patients undergoing surgery of the cervical spine

BACKGROUND

Psychosocial distress (the presence of yellow flags) has been linked to poor outcomes in spine surgery. The Core Yellow Flags Index (CYFI), a short instrument assessing the 4 main yellow flags, was developed for use in patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery. This study evaluated its ability to predict outcome in patients undergoing cervical spine surgery.

METHODS

Patients with degenerative spinal disorders (excluding myelopathy) operated in one centre, from 2015 to 2019, were asked to complete the CYFI at baseline and the Core Outcome Measures Index (COMI) at baseline and 3 and 12 months after surgery. The relationship between CYFI and COMI scores at baseline as well as the predictive ability of the CYFI on the COMI follow-up scores were tested using structural equation modelling.

RESULTS

From 731 eligible patients, 547 (61.0 ± 12.5 years; 57.2% female) completed forms at all three timepoints. On a cross-sectional basis, preoperative CYFI and COMI scores were highly correlated (β = 0.54, in men and 0.51 in women; each p < 0.001). CYFI added significantly and independently to the prediction of COMI at 3 months' FU in men (β = 0.36) and 12 months' FU in men and women (both β = 0.20) (all p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The CYFI had a low to moderate but significant and independent association with cervical spine surgery outcomes. Implementing the CYFI in the preoperative workup of these patients could help refine outcome predictions and better manage patient expectations.

Influence of Anxiety and Depression on Opioid Use After Cervical Spine Fusion: An Analysis of a National Claims Database

Patients with spine pathology demonstrate an above average rate of active psychiatric disorders, which can influence their recovery. This study was designed to understand how mental health diagnoses (ie, anxiety and depression) influence a patient's postoperative need for opioids after a single level cervical spine fusion. The PearlDiver database was used to identify patients. Patients were placed into one of four groups: those with a diagnosis of depression, those with a diagnosis of anxiety, those with a diagnosis of both anxiety and depression, and a control group. Chi-square tests were used to assess differences in the number of patients filling initial and additional opioid prescriptions for up to 90 days after their fusion. A total of 168,967 patients who underwent an elective cervical spine fusion in the United States between 2010 and 2021 were included in this study. The control group filled significantly more opioid prescriptions within the first 90 days after their cervical fusion (P<.001). There was no difference among the study groups regarding the need to fill additional opioid prescriptions. Patients with a diagnosis of depression and/or anxiety may present as complex patients; however, results suggest they do not need additional opioids for pain control after a single level cervical spine fusion. [Orthopedics. 2024;47(2):89-94.].

Influence of Anxiety and Depression on Opioid Use Following Lumbar Spine Fusion: A Large Database Study

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective database.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to understand how a mental health disorder, specifically anxiety and depression, influences a patient's postoperative opioid needs following single-level lumbar spine fusion.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA

Patients with spine pathology commonly demonstrate symptoms of an active psychiatric disorder. Mental health significantly influences how a patient perceives pain and a patient's opioid pain control needs after surgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Pearldiver Patient Claims Database was used to identify patients undergoing single-level posterior spine fusion within the United States between 2010 and 2020. Patients were placed into 1 of 4 groups: those with a diagnosis of depression, those with a diagnosis of anxiety, those with a diagnosis of both anxiety and depression, and a control group. χ 2 tests were used to assess differences in the number of patients filling initial and additional opioid prescriptions for up to 90 days following their fusion.

RESULTS

The control group filled significantly more initial opioid prescriptions within the first 90 days following their spine fusion ( P <0.001). However, there was no difference among the study groups in regard to the additional need for prescriptions.

CONCLUSION

Patients with mental health diagnoses may present as complex patients to spine surgeons; however, this study suggests they do not require additional opioid pain control following a single-level lumbar fusion.

Depression and anxiety in cervical degenerative disc disease: Who are susceptible?

Background

Pre-operative depression and anxiety are associated with poorer patient-reported outcomes following cervical spine surgery. Identification of and interventions for these disorders are key to preventing related negative effects. However, most spine surgeons do not routinely evaluate mental health disorders. Few studies have investigated which patients with cervical degenerative disc diseases (CDDD) are susceptible to depression and anxiety.

Objective

To determine the factors associated with depression and anxiety in patients with CDDD.

Methods

Three hundred twelve patients with CDDD were recruited in this cross-sectional case-control study. Patients underwent a structured interview to acquire demographic and clinical characteristic information, which included the Neck Disability Index (NDI), modified Japanese Orthopedic Association (mJOA), and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for neck/arm pain. Depression and anxiety were evaluated using the Zung Self-Rating Depression and Anxiety Scales. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with depression and anxiety.

Results

Of all patients, 102 (32.7%) had depression and 92 (29.5%) had anxiety. Two hundred six (66.0%) patients with neither depression nor anxiety were defined as the control group. Univariate analysis indicated that gender, educational level, occupation type, Charlson comorbidity index, symptom duration, symptomatology, surgery history, NDI, mJOA, VAS-neck, and VAS-arm scores were associated with depression and anxiety (except for symptom duration for anxiety). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that females [odds ratio (OR) 1.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-3.23], physical work (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.16-3.65), poor mJOA score (ORmoderate 2.67, 95% CI 1.40-5.07; ORsevere 7.63, 95% CI 3.85-15.11), and high VAS-neck score (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.11-1.39) were independent risk factors for depression. Physical work (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.01-3.35), poor mJOA score (ORmoderate 2.66, 95% CI 1.33-5.33; ORsevere 9.26, 95% CI 4.52-18.99), and high VAS-neck score (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.19-1.51) were independent risk factors for anxiety.

Conclusion

Approximately one-third of patients with CDDD had depression or anxiety. Patients who engaged in heavy work and had severe symptoms (poor mJOA and high VAS-neck scores) are susceptible to depression and anxiety. Additionally, female patients are susceptible to depression. Our findings may help identify CDDD patients with depression and anxiety in clinical practice.

Anterior surgical treatment for cervical degenerative radiculopathy: a prediction model for non-success

PURPOSE

By using data from the Norwegian Registry for Spine Surgery, we wanted to develop and validate prediction models for non-success in patients operated with anterior surgical techniques for cervical degenerative radiculopathy (CDR).

METHODS

This is a multicentre longitudinal study of 2022 patients undergoing CDR surgery and followed for 12 months to find prognostic models for non-success in neck disability and arm pain using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Model performance was evaluated by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and a calibration test. Internal validation by bootstrapping re-sampling with 1000 repetitions was applied to correct for over-optimism. The clinical usefulness of the neck disability model was explored by developing a risk matrix for individual case examples.

RESULTS

Thirty-eight percent of patients experienced non-success in neck disability and 35% in arm pain. Loss to follow-up was 35% for both groups. Predictors for non-success in neck disability were high physical demands in work, low level of education, pending litigation, previous neck surgery, long duration of arm pain, medium-to-high baseline disability score and presence of anxiety/depression. AUC was 0.78 (95% CI, 0.75, 0.82). For the arm pain model, all predictors for non-success in neck disability, except for anxiety/depression, were found to be significant in addition to foreign mother tongue, smoking and medium-to-high baseline arm pain. AUC was 0.68 (95% CI, 0.64, 0.72).

CONCLUSION

The neck disability model showed high discriminative performance, whereas the arm pain model was shown to be acceptable. Based upon the models, individualized risk estimates can be made and applied in shared decision-making with patients referred for surgical assessment.

Burst spinal cord stimulation can attenuate pain and its affective components in chronic pain patients with high psychological distress: results from the prospective, international TRIUMPH study

BACKGROUND CONTEXT

Psychological characteristics such as catastrophizing and depression have been shown to negatively impact outcome prognosis after spinal interventions.

PURPOSE

To evaluate whether high psychological distress, defined as clinically elevated levels of catastrophizing and depression, is associated with poorer outcomes after spinal cord stimulation utilizing a passive recharge burst stimulation design. This proprietary waveform may uniquely attenuate the emotional aspects of chronic pain given its affects on the medial pain pathway projecting to the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula.

STUDY DESIGN/SETTINGS

Data were extracted from the prospective, multi-center, single-arm, international TRIUMPH study. The purpose of TRIUMPH was to assess long-term (2 years) safety and effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation for chronic pain in the trunk and/or limbs using a passive recharge enabled burst spinal cord stimulation (B-SCS) system.

PATIENT SAMPLE

Two subsets of study patients were identified; those with (n=31) and those without (n=54) high psychological distress.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Psychological and functional outcomes as well as pain intensity and impact of pain on life were administered at baseline and all follow intervals. Additionally, patient satisfaction and patient global impression of change were assessed at all follow-up intervals.

METHODS

Psychological distress (PD) was defined as a baseline score of ≥ 30 on the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and ≥ 10 on the Patient Health Questionnaire Depression scale (PHQ-9). Nondistressed (ND) patients had scores below these thresholds on both scales. All patients were implanted with a B-SCS system and completed data collection for the 24-month follow-up visit. This study was funded by Abbott. JMH is a consultant for Abbott and has received <$20,000 in lifetime consulting fees from Abbott. SMF is a consultant for Abbott and has received >$50,000 in lifetime consulting fees from Abbott. BB is an Abbott employee. RAC is a former Abbott employee. JJY is a consultant for Abbott and has received <$2,500 in lifetime consulting fees from Abbott.

RESULTS

Of the 128 participants with 24-month data, 31 (24%) and 54 (35%) met the criteria for PD and ND, respectively. Baseline measures indicated a more severe chronic pain profile and worse quality of life in the PD group. Two years after implant, 71% were no longer clinically catastrophizing and 58% were no longer clinically depressed. Notably, more than half of the PD patients on antidepressants discontinued or decreased their medication. Health-related quality of life was 82% higher in the PD group at 24 months, reaching levels similar to the ND group. Psychological distress did not impact outcomes after SCS therapy; composite multi-responder rates were similar in the 2 groups throughout the follow-up period. Patient reported pain relief (58% PD vs. 61% ND) was equivalent in each group. In both groups, 81% were satisfied or very satisfied with the pain relief provided.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results showed that B-SCS appears to be as effective in a chronic pain population with high psychological distress as in those without distress. This may be due to the unique mechanism of action with the stimulation design involving the emotional-affective medial pain pathway in the brain.

A national snapshot of the impact of clinical depression on post-surgical pain and adverse outcomes after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for cervical myelopathy and radiculopathy: 10-year results from the US Nationwide Inpatient Sample

Depression is associated with poorer outcomes in a wide spectrum of surgeries but the specific effects of depression in patients undergoing cervical spine surgery are unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and impact of pre-surgical clinical depression on pain and other outcomes after surgery for cervical degenerative disc disease using a national representative database. Data of patients with cervical myelopathy and radiculopathy were extracted from the 2005–2014 US Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. Included patients underwent anterior discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Acute or chronic post-surgical pain, postoperative complications, unfavorable discharge, length of stay (LOS) and hospital costs were evaluated. Totally 215,684 patients were included. Pre-surgical depression was found in 29,889 (13.86%) patients, with a prevalence nearly doubled during 2005–2014 in the US. Depression was independently associated with acute or chronic post-surgical pain (aOR: 1.432), unfavorable discharge (aOR: 1.311), prolonged LOS (aOR: 1.152), any complication (aOR: 1.232), respiratory complications/pneumonia (aOR: 1.153), dysphagia (aOR: 1.105), bleeding (aOR: 1.085), infection/sepsis (aOR: 1.529), and higher hospital costs (beta: 1080.640) compared to non-depression. No significant risk of delirium or venous thrombotic events was observed in patients with depression as compared to non-depression. Among patients receiving primary surgery, depression was independently associated with prolonged LOS (aOR: 1.150), any complication (aOR:1.233) and postoperative pain (aOR:1.927). In revision surgery, no significant associations were found for prolonged LOS, any complication or pain. In conclusion, in the US patients undergoing ACDF, pre-surgical clinical depression predicts post-surgical acute or chronic pain, a slightly prolonged LOS and the presence of any complication. Awareness of these associations may help clinicians stratify risk preoperatively and optimize patient care.

Impact of Depression on Patient Reported Outcomes Following Primary Versus Revision ACDF

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective cohort.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the relationship of depressive symptoms with patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) in patients undergoing either primary or revision anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) procedures.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND

Depression has been associated with poorer outcomes following ACDF. However, research examining the relationship between depression and PROMs in revision ACDF procedures is limited.

METHODS

A prospective database was retrospectively reviewed for primary or revision, single- or multilevel ACDF procedures from 2016 to 2019. Patients lacking preoperative Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) surveys were excluded. Demographic and perioperative characteristics were recorded and analyzed using Fisher's exact test or t test. Patient-reported outcome measures were collected preoperatively and postoperatively. Postoperative improvement from baseline scores (ΔPROM) was calculated at all postoperative timepoints. Differences in mean PROM and ΔPROM between groups and changes from baseline PROM scores within groups were assessed using Student's t test. Linear regression analyzed the impact of preoperative PHQ-9 on ΔPROM.

RESULTS

A total of 143 patients (121 primary and 22 revision) were included. Significant differences between groups were demonstrated at the preoperative timepoint for Neck Disability Index (NDI) (P = 0.022). ΔPROM values did not significantly differ between groups. Regression analysis revealed significant relationships between preoperative PHQ-9 and ΔPHQ-9 at all timepoints, ΔVAS neck at 6-weeks and 6-months, ΔVAS arm at 6-months, and ΔNDI at 6-weeks and 6-months for the primary group (all P < 0.05). Regression analysis revealed no significant associations for the revision group.

CONCLUSION

Primary or revision ACDF procedures did not significantly differ in depressive symptoms through 1-year. Primary ACDF patients significantly improved in all PROMs through all timepoints, while revision patients had limited improvement in PROMs. Preoperative depression may have a stronger association on postoperative outcomes for primary procedures.Level of Evidence: 3.

Osteoporosis and Spine Surgery: A Critical Analysis Review

Despite being part of the aging process, early and adequate management of osteoporosis mitigates adverse outcomes associated with low bone mineral density. Although the health-care burden of osteoporosis is on the rise, screening and management of osteoporosis are not yet an integral part of preoperative patient evaluation in spine surgery. Patients with osteoporosis should undergo multidisciplinary evaluation and management, including lifestyle modifications and initiation of multiple therapeutic modalities. Integrating osteoporosis in preoperative optimization and surgical planning for patients undergoing spine surgery has the potential to mitigate osteoporosis-related postoperative complications.

Appropriate Opioid Use After Spine Surgery: Psychobehavioral Barriers and Patient Knowledge

OBJECTIVE

To identify spine patients' barriers to appropriate postoperative opioid use, comfort with naloxone, knowledge of safe opioid disposal practices, and associated factors.

METHODS

We preoperatively surveyed 174 spine patients about psychobehavioral barriers to appropriate opioid use, comfort with naloxone, and knowledge about opioid disposal. Multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with barriers and knowledge (α = 0.05).

RESULTS

Common barriers were fear of addiction (71%) and concern about disease progression (43%). Most patients (78%) had neutral/low confidence in the ability of nonopioid medications to control pain; most (57%) felt neutral or uncomfortable with using naloxone; and most (86%) were familiar with safe disposal. Anxiety was associated with fear of distracting the physician (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 3.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-14) and with lower odds of knowing safe disposal methods (aOR, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.04-0.72). Opioid use during the preceding month was associated with comfort with naloxone (aOR, 4.9; 95% CI, 2.1-12). Patients with a higher educational level had lower odds of reporting fear of distracting the physician (aOR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.09-0.97), and those with previous postoperative opioid use had lower odds of concern about disease progression (aOR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.09-0.63) and with a belief in tolerating pain (aOR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.12-0.95).

CONCLUSIONS

Many spine patients report barriers to appropriate postoperative opioid use and are neutral or uncomfortable with naloxone. Some are unfamiliar with safe disposal. Associated factors include anxiety, lack of recent opioid use, and no previous postoperative use.

The Impact of Multiple Comorbid Mental Health Disorders on Health-related Quality of Life Following ACDF

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective comparative study.

OBJECTIVE

The goal was to determine whether comorbid depression and/or anxiety influence outcomes after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for patients with degenerative cervical pathology.

BACKGROUND DATA

The role preoperative mental health has on patient reported outcomes after ACDF surgery is not well understood.

METHODS

Patients undergoing elective ACDF for degenerative cervical pathology were identified. Patients were grouped based on their preoperative mental health comorbidities, including patients with no history, depression, anxiety, and those with both depression and anxiety. All preoperative medical treatment for depression and/or anxiety was identified. Outcomes including Physical Component Score (PCS-12), Mental Component Score (MCS-12), Neck Disability Index (NDI), Visual Analogue Scale neck pain score (VAS Neck ), and Visual Analogue Scale arm pain score (VAS Arm) were compared between groups from baseline to postoperative measurements using multiple linear regression analysis-controlling for factors such as age, sex, and body mass index, etc. A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

A total of 264 patients were included in the analysis, with an average age of 53 years and mean follow-up of 19.8 months (19.0-20.6). All patients with a diagnosis of depression or anxiety also reported medical treatment for the disease. The group with no depression or anxiety had significantly less baseline disability than the group with 2 mental health diagnoses, in MCS-12 (P=0.009), NDI (P<0.004), VAS Neck (P=0.003), and VAS Arm (P=0.001) scores. Linear regression analysis demonstrated that increasing occurrence of mental health disorders was not a significant predictor of change over time for any of the outcome measures included in the analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite more severe preoperative symptoms, patients with a preoperative mental health disorder(s) demonstrated significant improvement in postoperative outcomes after ACDF. No differences were identified in postoperative outcomes between each of the groups.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III.

Are preoperative depression and anxiety associated with patient-reported outcomes, health care payments, and opioid use after anterior discectomy and fusion?

BACKGROUND CONTEXT

Depression and anxiety are common psychiatric conditions among US adults, and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is one of the most commonly performed spinal surgeries. Mental health conditions can affect physical health, and thus have the potential to contribute to adverse outcomes after spine surgery; however, a comprehensive assessment of long-term outcomes and the additive economic burden of these conditions in patients undergoing ACDF has not been well described.

PURPOSE

Our goal was to assess the associations between depression/anxiety and adverse outcomes and health-resource utilization after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF).

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective database study.

PATIENT SAMPLE

We retrospectively analyzed a private administrative health claims database to identify patients who underwent ACDF in the United States from 2010 to 2013. A total of 16,306 patients met our inclusion criteria. Mean (± standard deviation) patient age was 50±7.9 years. Approximately 4,800 patients (30%) had a depression diagnosis and 4,000 (25%) had a diagnosis of anxiety.

OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcomes of interest were intensive care unit admission, multiday hospitalization, discharge disposition, 30- and 90-day hospital readmission, 1- and 2-year rates of revision surgery, and chronic postoperative opioid use. Secondary outcomes were 1- and 2-year total cumulative health care payments and cumulative postoperative opioid consumption.

METHODS

Regression models controlled for demographic and medical covariates, alpha=0.05.

RESULTS

A preoperative diagnosis of depression was associated with higher odds of multiday hospitalization (odds ratio [OR] 1.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.19), 90-day readmission (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.46-2.02), revision surgery within 2 years (OR 1.43 95% CI 1.16-1.76), and chronic postoperative opioid use (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.45-1.72) and an increase of $5,915 in adjusted 2-year health care payments (p<.001). Patients with a preoperative diagnosis of anxiety had higher odds of multiday hospitalization (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.06-1.25), revision surgery within 2 years (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.07-1.65), and chronic postoperative opioid use (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.48-1.77) and an increase of $4,471 in adjusted 2-year health care payments (p<.001). Neither anxiety nor depression was associated with intensive care unit admission, discharge disposition, 30-day readmission, revision surgery within 1 year, 1-year cumulative health care payments, or cumulative postoperative opioid consumption.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with preoperative diagnoses of depression or anxiety have a greater likelihood of adverse outcomes, increased opioid consumption, and increased cumulative health care payments after ACDF compared with patients without depression or anxiety.

Patients with a depressive and/or anxiety disorder can achieve optimum Long term outcomes after surgery for grade 1 spondylolisthesis: Analysis from the quality outcomes database (QOD)

INTRODUCTION

In the current study, we sought to compare baseline demographic, clinical, and operative characteristics, as well as baseline and follow-up patient reported outcomes (PROs) of patients with any depressive and/or anxiety disorder undergoing surgery for low-grade spondylolisthesis using a national spine registry.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The Quality Outcomes Database (QOD) was queried for patients undergoing surgery for Meyerding grade 1 lumbar spondylolisthesis undergoing 1-2 level decompression or 1 level fusion at 12 sites with the highest number of patients enrolled in QOD with 2-year follow-up data.

RESULTS

Of the 608 patients identified, 25.6 % (n = 156) had any depressive and/or anxiety disorder. Patients with a depressive/anxiety disorder were less likely to be discharged home (p < 0.001). At 3=months, patients with a depressive/anxiety disorder had higher back pain (p < 0.001), lower quality of life (p < 0.001) and higher disability (p = 0.013); at 2 year patients with depression and/or anxiety had lower quality of life compared to those without (p < 0.001). On multivariable regression, depression was associated with significantly lower odds of achieving 20 % or less ODI (OR 0.44, 95 % CI 0.21-0.94,p = 0.03). Presence of an anxiety disorder was not associated with decreased odds of achieving that milestone at 3 months. The presence of depressive-disorder, anxiety-disorder or both did not have an impact on ODI at 2 years. Finally, patient satisfaction at 2-years did not differ between the two groups (79.8 % vs 82.7 %,p = 0.503).

CONCLUSION

We found that presence of a depressive-disorder may impact short-term outcomes among patients undergoing surgery for low grade spondylolisthesis but longer term outcomes are not affected by either a depressive or anxiety disorder.

Adult spinal deformity

Adult spinal deformity affects the thoracic or thoracolumbar spine throughout the ageing process. Although adolescent spinal deformities taken into adulthood are not uncommon, the most usual causes of spinal deformity in adults are iatrogenic flatback and degenerative scoliosis. Given its prevalence in the expanding portion of the global population aged older than 65 years, the disorder is of growing interest in health care. Physical examination, with a focus on gait and posture, along with radiographical assessment are primarily used and integrated with risk stratification indices to establish optimal treatment planning. Although non-operative treatment is regarded as the first-line response, surgical outcomes are considerably favourable. Global disparities exist in both the assessment and treatment of adults with spinal deformity across countries of varying incomes, which represents an area requiring further investigation. This Seminar presents evidence and knowledge that represent the evolution of data related to spinal deformity in adults over the past several decades.

Longer Preoperative Duration of Symptoms Negatively Affects Health-related Quality of Life After Surgery for Cervical Radiculopathy

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective cohort.

OBJECTIVE

Determine the effect of duration of symptoms (DOS) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes for patients with cervical radiculopathy.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA

The effect of DOS has not been extensively evaluated for cervical radiculopathy.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent an anterior cervical decompression and fusion for radiculopathy was performed. Patients were grouped based on DOS of less than 6 months, 6 months to 2 years, and more than 2 years and HRQOL outcomes were evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 216 patients were included with a mean follow-up of 16.0 months. There were 86, 61, and 69 patients with symptoms for less than 6 months, 6 months to 2 years, and more than 2 years, respectively. No difference in the absolute postoperative score of the patient reported outcomes was identified between the cohorts. However, in the multivariate analysis, radiculopathy for more than 2 years predicted lower postoperative Short Form-12 Physical Component Score (P = 0.037) and Short Form-12 Mental Component Score (P = 0.029), and higher postoperative Neck Disability Index (P = 0.003), neck pain (P = 0.001), and arm pain (P = 0.004) than radiculopathy for less than 6 months. Furthermore, the recovery ratios for patients with symptoms for less than 6 months demonstrated a greater improvement in NDI, neck pain, and arm pain than for 6 months to 2 years (P = 0.041; 0.005; 0.044) and more than 2 years (P = 0.016; 0.014; 0.002), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Patients benefit from spine surgery for cervical radiculopathy at all time points, and the absolute postoperative score for the patient reported outcomes did not vary based on the duration of symptoms; however, the regression analysis clearly identified symptoms for more than 2 years as a predictor of worse outcomes, and the recovery ratio was statistically significantly improved in patients who underwent surgery within 6 months of the onset of symptoms.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

3.