Minimally invasive surgery is associated with higher chances of patient satisfaction three months after surgery compared to open procedures in lumbar spinal fusion cases, a study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery found.
Researchers evaluated 1,483 minimally invasive spinal fusion patients and 2,966 open spinal fusion patients from the Quality Outcomes Database. They examined multiple variables, including the Oswestry Disability Index, length of hospital stay, satisfaction per the North American Spine Society scale and incidental durotomy rate.
Minimally invasive surgery patients had higher odds of satisfaction after three months compared to the open procedure patients. The minimally invasive patients had a slightly lower ODI score on average at 12 months compared to open surgery patients as well.
The study concluded: "In patients who underwent lumbar fusion for degenerative spinal disease, MIS was associated with higher odds of satisfaction at three months postoperatively. No difference was demonstrated at the 12-month follow-up. MIS maintained a small, yet consistent, superiority in decreasing ODI and back and leg pain, and MIS was associated with a lower reoperation rate."