A new study published in The Spine Journal examined whether patient reported outcomes are predictive of patient satisfaction five years after anterior cervical spine surgery.
The study included 512 patients who underwent cervical spine surgery and had five-year follow-up data.
Two years after surgery, the Neck Disability Index improvement, absolute NDI score and absolute visual analog scale score were excellent predictors of patient satisfaction. Five years after surgery, the following measures were predictors of patient satisfaction:
• NDI improvement
• Absolute NDI score
• VAS neck pain improvement
• Absolute VAS neck pain score
"In patients undergoing one and two level anterior cervical spine surgery, between two and five years postoperatively patient satisfaction is significantly predicted by patient reported outcomes including the VAS neck score and neck disability index," concluded the study authors.