Quality of life in post lumbar microdiscectomy patients using the EuroQol 5-dimension 5-level scale

Abstract

Objectives: The current study aimed to assess the impact of microdiscectomy surgery on quality of life (QOL) in postoperative patients across many facets of life to identify the most commonly affected ones. Our research question was, “does majority of postlumbar microdiscectomy patients have good QOL postsurgery?” Patients and Methods: In a single tertiary care center in southern region, Saudi Arabia, ninety-seven patients who underwent discectomy at Aseer Central Hospital (ACH) in southwestern Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2017 were included in this study. ACH is the only tertiary care center in Asir province. Patients with spinal fractures or incomplete files were excluded. Patients' files were reviewed for data extraction. A phone call was made to all patients and they were asked to answer the five questions of the five domains of the EuroQoL 5-dimension 5-level (EQ-5D-5 L) QOL questionnaire. After considering other variables and adjusting for potential confounders, we assessed the amount of patients' satisfaction in the 5 domains of EQ-5D-5 L. Results: The study included 97 patients whose ages ranged from 28 to 56 years with a mean age of 42.6 ± 10.8 years. Nearly 61% of the patients were male. In all, 56.7% of patients reported a high QOL, while 4.1% of them had a poor QOL. About 82% of the included patients had no or minimal self-care problems, while 65.9% of the patients had no or minimal pain. Conclusions: The researchers concluded that about half of the patients who underwent lumbar microdiscectomy had a high QOL. The greatest improvements following microdiscectomy were recorded for self-care, mobility, and psychological status, while the lowest improvements were noted for pain and discomfort.