title: Patient satisfaction after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion is primarily driven by relieving pain.
abstract: 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 d after surgery; range, 198 to 232 d) 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 analyzed.
  
  
  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 Numerical Rating Scale 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany. chessler@uke.uni-hamburg.de
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hessler
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Boysen
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Regelsberger
authors.forename: Eik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vettorazzi
authors.forename: Dietrich
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Westphal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001132:Arm; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery; D017586:Diskectomy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000628:therapy; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D012677:Sensation / Q000502:physiology; D013123:Spinal Fusion; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid