title: Functional and economic outcome following microdiscectomy for lumbar disc herniation in 672 patients.
abstract: A retrospective assessment of 809 patients operated on in 1990-1998 was performed. A patient-based outcome questionnaire also was incorporated into the study. The outcome was graded according to the Functional Economic Rating scale. A total of 64% of the patients were relieved of their complaints 3.2-10.2 years (median 6.3 years) after lumbar disc surgery. An excellent outcome, defined as Prolo scale of 9 or 10, was achieved in 55.8%, a good outcome (Prolo scale 7 or 8) in 20.7%, a fair outcome (Prolo scale 5 or 6) in 11.4%, and a poor outcome (Prolo scale of </=4) in 12.1% of the patients. Patients with strenuous occupations had a significantly (P = 0.004) less favorable outcome than patients with less strenuous or sedentary occupations. Criteria for evaluating the results of treating lumbar spinal disorders vary widely. A more universal acceptance of common criteria for judging the outcome of spinal operations should facilitate comparisons among various methods of treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Vienna, Austria. neurochirurgie@hotmail.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schoeggl
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Matula
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000191:economics* / Q000601:surgery*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D010361:Patients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome