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Spine fusion patients have improved disability, health-related quality of life scores at 1 year
One-year results for patients who underwent spine fusion indicate an improvement in disability and health-related quality of life, although the patients did not reach the scores seen in a sample of the general population.
The researchers compared data from 252 spine fusion patients in two hospitals in Finland with a general population sample of 682 people from the Finnish Population Register. The study matched for age, gender and area of residence. They measured patient outcomes in both groups using the health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and the physical component score (PCS) and mental component score (MCS) of the SF-36 questionnaire.
“Despite the significant improvement during the 1-year follow-up in both disability and HRQoL, the patients did not reach the level of general population in the ODI or in the PCS,” the researchers wrote. “In the MCS, however, both female and male patients reached the level of general population.”
The general population sample had a mean ODI score of 15 points in men and 9 points in women. Preoperatively, spine fusion patients had an ODI score of 47 points in men and 40 points in females. The scores decreased to 22 points and 23 points, respectively, at 1-year follow-up, according to the abstract.
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.