Evaluation of Postoperative Mental Health Outcomes in Patients Based on Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System Physical Function Following Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship of preoperative physical function, as measured by Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System Physical Function (PROMIS PF), to improvement in mental health, as evaluated by Short Form-12 Mental Component Summary (SF-12 MCS) following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). METHODS: Patients undergoing primary ACDF were retrospectively reviewed and stratified based on preoperative PROMIS PF scores. PROMIS PF cohorts were tested for an association with demographic characteristics and perioperative variables using chi-square analysis and multivariate linear regression. Multivariate linear regression was utilized to determine the association between PROMIS PF cohorts and improvement in SF-12 MCS. RESULTS: A total of 129 one- to 3-level ACDF patients were included: 73 had PROMIS PF < 40 ("low PROMIS") and 56 had PROMIS PF ≥ 40 ("high PROMIS"). The low PROMIS cohort reported worse mental health preoperatively and at all postoperative timepoints except for 1 year. Both cohorts had similar changes in mental health from baseline through the 6-month follow-up. However, at 1 year. postoperatively, the low PROMIS cohort had a statistically greater change in mental health score. CONCLUSION: Patients with worse preoperative physical function reported significantly worse preoperative and postoperative mental health. However, patients with worse preoperative physical function made significantly greater improvements in mental health from baseline. This suggests that patients with worse preoperative physical function can still expect significant improvements in mental health following surgery.

The identification of risk factors for increased postoperative pain following minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion.

PURPOSE: To evaluate specific demographic and perioperative variables associated with higher inpatient pain scores following minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS TLIF). METHODS: Patients who underwent a single-level, primary MIS TLIF were retrospectively reviewed. Perioperative outcomes were collected, and postoperative inpatient VAS pain scores were measured. Both bivariate and stepwise multivariate Poisson regressions with robust error variance were used to assess risk factors for average inpatient pain score ≥ 5.0. A final backward stepwise regression model was created using age, gender, smoking status, diabetes status, insurance status, BMI, comorbidity burden, pedicle screw laterality, operative time, and estimated blood loss. RESULTS: A total of 255 patients undergoing primary, single-level MIS TLIF were included. Age less than 50 years, workers' compensation insurance, preoperative VAS pain score ≥ 7, and operative duration ≥ 110 min were associated with greater postoperative pain. However, other variables such as gender, BMI, smoking status, comorbidity burden, diabetes status, and pedicle screw laterality were not associated with increased postoperative pain. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that younger age, workers' compensation, elevated preoperative pain scores, and longer operative times are independently associated with greater inpatient pain following TLIF. Surgeons can use this information to better assess which patients may require additional pain control following TLIF. Patient expectations of postoperative outcomes in regard to pain and recovery may also be better managed. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material. (paragraph). Then process the ppt slide as graphical image.

The Influence of Preoperative Mental Health on PROMIS Physical Function Outcomes Following Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate whether preoperative mental health status can be predictive of postoperative functional outcomes as measured by Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System Physical Function (PROMIS PF) following minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS TLIF). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: There is a paucity of scientific investigations into the association between preoperative mental health as evaluated by a validated questionnaire such as the Short Form-12 Mental Health Composite Score (SF-12 MCS) and postoperative outcomes following MIS TLIF. METHODS: Patients undergoing a primary MIS TLIF were retrospectively reviewed and stratified into cohorts based on preoperative SF-12 MCS scores. The Physical Function scores of PROMIS, of which there are other domains including Pain Interference, Sexual Function, and Cognitive Function, were compared between the cohorts. In addition, the improvement in PROMIS scores based on preoperative SF-12 MCS scores following MIS TLIF was analyzed using multivariate linear regression. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-two patients were included: 85 patients (49.4%) had a preoperative SF-12 MCS score <50 and 87 (50.6%) had a preoperative SF-12 MCS score ≥50. Patients with poorer mental health demonstrated significantly worse PROMIS PF scores preoperatively (33.8 vs. 36.5, P < 0.001), as well as at all postoperative timepoints: 6-weeks (35.1 vs. 38.4, P < 0.001), 3-months (38.9 vs. 42.9, P < 0.001), 6-months (41.4 vs. 45.5, P < 0.001), and 1-year (42.4 vs. 47.6, P < 0.001). However, at the 1-year timepoint, patients with worse mental health reported experiencing significantly less improvement from baseline (postoperative change of 8.6 vs. 11.1, P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Patients with worse preoperative mental health not only demonstrated worse preoperative PROMIS PF scores, but also continued to have significantly worse postoperative outcomes. However, the postoperative improvement experienced by patients was similar in the short-term following surgery regardless of preoperative mental health status. Patients with poor mental health experienced significantly less postoperative improvement only at the 1-year timepoint. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

The Effect of Preoperative Symptom Duration on Postoperative Outcomes After Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective. OBJECT: This study aims to examine whether the time spanning from symptom onset to surgical intervention has an effect on postoperative clinical improvement in patients undergoing minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS TLIF). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Evidence is limited regarding the influence of preoperative symptom duration on patient-reported outcomes (PROs). METHODS: Patients undergoing a primary, single-level minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion were retrospectively reviewed and stratified according to preoperative symptom duration (<12 mo and ≥12 mo). Differences in PROs, including Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), 12-Item Short-Form Physical Component Score (SF-12 PCS), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) back pain, and VAS leg pain, at each postoperative timepoint and were compared between duration of symptoms (DOS) cohorts using linear regression. Achievement of minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for PROs was compared using χ analysis. RESULTS: A total of 248 patients were included: 96 had a DOS <12 months and 152 had a DOS >12 months. When comparing PROs preoperatively, the shorter DOS cohort had significantly worse ODI, VAS leg pain, and SF-12 PCS compared with patients with longer DOS. However, there was no preoperative difference in VAS back pain between cohorts. Postoperatively, there were no significant differences in improvement of PROs throughout the 12-month timepoint. The shorter DOS cohort had a comparable number of patients achieving MCID for ODI, VAS back pain, VAS leg pain, and SF-12 PCS relative to the longer DOS cohort. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, patients with DOS <12 months exhibited significantly worse ODI and VAS leg pain scores at the time of surgery compared with patients with longer DOS. However, these patients demonstrated similar clinical improvement postoperatively regardless of preoperative symptom duration. These findings suggest that delayed surgical intervention may not lead to impaired functional recovery in patients with degenerative lumbar disease.