Patient-Reported Outcomes and Patient-Reported Satisfaction After Surgical Treatment for Cervical Radiculopathy.

STUDY

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES

It is estimated that 10 000 patients seek medical care due to cervical radiculopathy every year in Denmark. Although the natural course is usually favorable, around 20% undergo surgery for cervical degenerative disease every year in Denmark. We aim to evaluate the patient-reported results and satisfaction of anterior cervical decompression and fusion over a 5-year period from a single Danish center for spine surgery.

METHODS

This study is a retrospective study based on prospectively collected data from 318 consecutive patients treated with anterior cervical decompression and fusion over 1 to 3 levels. Data in the DaneSpine registry was collected pre- and postoperatively, and at 1 year after surgery. The outcome measures were Neck Disability Index (NDI), European Quality of Life 5D (EQ-5D), visual analogue score (VAS), and Short Form-36 Physical Component Summary (SF-36 PCS).

RESULTS

Of 318 cases enrolled, 272 (85.5%) had follow-up data available at a minimum 1-year postoperatively. The mean preoperative NDI was 40.0 and improved to 22.7. Mean EQ-5D was 0.50 and improved to 0.70, and mean VAS arm was 60.4 improved to 26.4. All improvements were statistically significant. A total of 74.3% were back to work 1 year after surgery. Achieving minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in VAS neck and SF-36 PCS was strongly correlated to patient satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

Patients who undergo anterior cervical discectomy and fusion can expect improvement in their pain and disability, with 74.3% of patients reporting a positive change in health status after surgery.