59. Outcomes following discectomy for lumbar disc herniation in patients with substantial back pain

Abstract

BACKGROUND CONTEXT Patients with LDH typically present with lower extremity radiculopathy. However, some patients with substantial back pain are considered by some surgeons to be candidates for fusion. The purpose of this study is to determine if LDH patients with substantial back pain improve with a discectomy alone. PURPOSE To determine if back pain in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH) improves after discectomy alone without fusion. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Longitudinal observational cohort. PATIENT SAMPLE Patients enrolled in DaneSpine. OUTCOME MEASURES Back and Leg pain VAS (0-100), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and EuroQoL 5D (EQ-5D). METHODS The DaneSpine database was used to identify 2,399 patients with LDH and baseline back pain VAS ≥ 50 who underwent a lumbar discectomy. Standard demographic and surgical variables and patient-reported outcomes including back and leg pain VAS (0-100), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and EuroQoL 5D (EQ-5D) at baseline and 12 months postoperatively were collected. RESULTS A total of 1,654 (69%) cases had 12-month data available, with a mean age of 48.7 years; 816 (49%) were male and mean BMI was 27 kg/m2. At 12 months postoperatively, there were statistically significant (p CONCLUSIONS Patients with LDH who have substantial back pain can be counseled to expect improvement in their back pain 12 months after surgery after a discectomy alone. FDA DEVICE/DRUG STATUS This abstract does not discuss or include any applicable devices or drugs.