The impact of corrective surgery for thoracolumbar kyphotic deformity on health-related quality of life in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Abstract

Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease. It might affect the facet, sacroiliac joint, and vertebra regions. It leads to thoracolumbar kyphotic deformity in the spine region. Both ankylosing spondylitis and kyphotic deformity impair the patients' quality of life. Our objective was to assess the impact of the correction of kyphotic deformity in ankylosing spondylitis on health-related quality of life. 11 thoracolumbar kyphosis patients diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis were operated and their deformity was corrected. Medical Outcome Study Short Form-36 (SF-36), visual analog scale (VAS), and Oswestry disability index (ODI) studies were performed on patients before surgery and 1 month after surgery to assess their impact on health-related quality of life. In our study, postoperative changes in the sub-parameters of the SF-36 test, which was used to assess the health-related quality of life of patients, were determined to be statistically significant compared to post-surgery. Likewise, postoperative changes in VAS and ODI tests compared to pre-surgery were also statistically significant. Corrective surgery of thoracolumbar kyphosis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis has a positive impact on both better health-related quality of life and recovery of back and low back pain.