title: Quality of life of patients operated on for lumbar stenosis: a long-term follow-up.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We evaluated a sample of 28 patients surgically treated for lumbar stenosis (LS) four years after the first evaluation (length of the first follow-up mean 44.6 months, range 15-88) in order to evaluate the long-term follow-up of Quality of Life (QoL) after surgical treatment as LS may greatly impair the patients' QoL. We previously assessed QoL in 30 patients operated on for LS four years before, by performing a retrospective follow-up through the Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36).
  
  
  METHODS
  In this current study we performed a phone call evaluation administering the SF-36 and the official Italian version of the North American Spine Society (NASS) lumbar spine outcome assessment instrument.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With regard to the SF-36 results at long term follow-up we observed a significant improvement of Physical Function, Bodily Pain, Mental Health and the Physical Composite Score with respect to the first follow-up. Conversely, Vitality worsened. Regarding the results of NASS an improvement of neurological symptoms was observed. Comparison of SF-36 mean scores in the current LS sample vs. the Italian normal population at the same age, showed similar QoL pattern.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The long-term follow-up showed that patients operated on for LS continue to improve their QoL pattern even between the 4th and the 8th year after surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Università Cattolica, Rome, Italy. lpadua@rm.unicatt.it
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Padua
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caliandro
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Padua
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Prezioso
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Aulisa
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mastantuoni
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pazzaglia
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aulisa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007796:Laminectomy; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D013130:Spinal Stenosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed