The Effect of Patient Age on Recovery Kinetics in 149 Adult Spinal Deformity Patients with Two-Year Follow-Up: A Novel Area under the Curve Analysis

Abstract

IntroductionElderly patients (pts) with adult spinal deformity (ASD) have worse baseline health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures than younger patients. Current methods of reporting outcomes are limited to static time points perhaps diminishing the health impact of the entire postoperative recovery experience. This study aims to identify the effect of age on the recovery kinetics by examining the effect of HRQOL over time via an area under the curve analysis (AUC).Materials and MethodsA retrospective review of a multicenter, prospective ASD database was included. The inclusion criteria included patients with ASD and ≥ 18 years. Patients were stratified by the following age groups: ≤ 45, 46 to 64, 65 to 74, ≥ 75 years. HRQOL collected included Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Short Form-36 (PCS/MCS), and Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS22) at baseline, 6 weeks, 1 and 2 years, postoperatively. All HRQOL was normalized to each patients' baseline scores as a comparison relative to where the patients ...