Study Measures Safety, Effectiveness of Spinal Surgery

The need for quality registries has become central to emerging evidence-driven reforms, with Americans spending an estimated $850 billion annually on ineffective medical treatment. And while many studies have demonstrated the efficacy of various surgical procedures for spinal disorders, few have examined their effectiveness in real-world settings or at the individual level.

A team of researchers led by Anthony L. Asher, MD, FAANS, has reviewed a nationwide, prospective, longitudinal outcomes database that measures the safety and effectiveness of everyday neurosurgical spine care. Using standardized sampling and linear regression, the team sought to identify predictors of 12-month surgical outcomes for lumbar disc herniation and spondylolisthesis.

Dr. Asher presented the team''s findings today during the 82nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS).

The study, known as The National Neurosurgery Quality and Outcomes Database(N2QOD): Predictors of Persistent 12 month Disability Following Lumbar Surgery, revealed that while lumbar surgery for disc herniation and spondylolisthesis is highly effective in the real-world setting, a significant subset of patients does not report improved disability scores at 12 months.

Great variability in outcomes exists at the individual patient level, said Dr. Asher: "This variability has been observed at all participating centers, in all diagnoses, and in all procedures included in the registry. Making sense of this variability - specifically, determining the combined contribution of patient characteristics and other variables to specific clinical outcomes - will produce tremendous benefit for surgeons, their patients and other health-care stakeholders."

Source-Newswise