Ambulatory spine surgery: Outcomes compared to inpatient surgery

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to review outcomes of ambulatory spine surgeries to its inpatient counterpart. Ambulatory spine surgeries have been on the rise as there has been evidence to support increased safety, faster healing and increased cost effectiveness with outpatient procedures. However, there has not been a paper to compare the most commonly performed outpatient spine surgery procedure outcomes with inpatient outcomes. These p+rocedures include lumbar microdiscectomy, posterior lumbar decompression, posterior cervical decompression, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, and cervical disc replacement. Outcomes, risks, and advantages were reviewed for each type of spine surgery.