Clinical and Neuropsychiatric Correlates of Lumbar Spinal Surgery in Older Adults: Results of a Pilot Study

Abstract

Aim: To improve selection of older lumbar surgical candidates, we surveyed correlates of functioning and satisfaction with surgery. Materials & methods: Prospective sample at lumbar spine surgery clinic. Patients (n = 48) were evaluated before surgery and after 3 months. Dependent variables were functioning and surgical satisfaction. Results: Baseline variables associated with disability at 3 months included cognitive status and widespread pain. There was clinically significant improvement with moderate effects sizes for anxiety and depression at follow-up. Patients with at least a 30% improvement in disability had better physical health-related quality of life and were less likely to report widespread pain before surgery. Conclusion: Although preliminary, two novel potential predictors of lumbar surgery outcome include diminished cognitive functioning and widespread pain. Further study of these variables on post-surgical functioning and satisfaction may improve patient selection.

KEYWORDS:

• aging
• complications
• lumbar spine
• predictors
• psychiatric
• spinal stenosis

Financial & competing interests disclosure

JF Karp has received medication supplies from Pfizer and Invidior for investigator initiated trials. This study was supported in part by NIH grant number AG033575. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.

Additional information

Funding

JF Karp has received medication supplies from Pfizer and Invidior for investigator initiated trials. This study was supported in part by NIH grant number AG033575. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.