gms | German Medical Science

63rd Annual Meeting of the German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC)
Joint Meeting with the Japanese Neurosurgical Society (JNS)

German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC)

13 - 16 June 2012, Leipzig

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Patient satisfaction after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is primarily driven by relieving pain

Meeting Abstract

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  • C. Hessler - Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
  • J. Regelsberger - Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
  • M. Westphal - Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. Japanische Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. 63. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC), Joint Meeting mit der Japanischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (JNS). Leipzig, 13.-16.06.2012. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2012. DocDO.13.02

doi: 10.3205/12dgnc115, urn:nbn:de:0183-12dgnc1158

Published: June 4, 2012

© 2012 Hessler et al.
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Outline

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Objective: A prospective follow-up study of patients with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for single-level cervical disc disease was conducted to determine the extent of impact of pain, sensory function, motor function, and range of motion (ROM) of the neck on patient satisfaction after ACDF.

Methods: A total of 67 ACDF patients were monitored by clinical examination (pain, motor function, sensory function, and ROM in the neck) preoperatively and at follow-up (mean, 217 days after surgery) and by a satisfactory questionnaire (SQ) at follow-up only. According to the SQs, 4 patient groups were characterized. Inside each patient group for each examination parameter, the percentage of patients who showed improved, unchanged, or worsened clinical results was analysed.

Results: Patient satisfaction was found to depend primarily on the improvement in pain (P = 0.001). The development of motor function (P = 0.056), sensory function (P = 0.225), and ROM of the neck (P = 0.565) did not demonstrate significant correlation with patient satisfaction. The NRS score decreased from 6.2 before surgery to 2.1 on follow-up, whereas the level of analgesic use (World Health Organization scheme) decreased from 1.9 to 0.3.

Conclusions: Improvement in pain seemed to be most important aspect in ACDF patients regarding the subjective SQ. Therefore, we strongly recommend focusing on pain-reducing therapies when choosing treatment for these patients during the postoperative period.