title: Operative Management of Adult Spinal Deformity Results in Significant Increases in QALYs Gained Compared to Nonoperative Management: Analysis of 479 Patients With Minimum 2-Year Follow-Up.
abstract: Retrospective review of prospective multicenter adult spinal deformity (ASD) database.
  
  
  
  To compare the quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) between operative and nonoperative treatments for ASD patients.
  
  
  
  Operative management of ASD repeatedly demonstrates improvements in HRQOL over nonoperative treatment. However, little is reported regarding QALY improvements after surgical correction of ASD.
  
  
  
  Inclusion criteria: ≥18 years, ASD. Health utility values were calculated from SF6D scores and used to calculate QALYs at minimum 2 years from the baseline utility value as well as at 1, 2, and 3 years for the available patients. A 1:1 propensity score matching using six baseline variables was conducted to account for the nonrandom distribution of operative and nonoperative treatments.
  
  
  
  Four hundred seventy-nine patients were included (OP:258, 70.7%, NONOP:221, 47.1%). One hundred fifty-one (OP:90, NONOP:61) had complete 1, 2, and 3 year data available for QALY trending. Unmatched results are not listed in the abstract. Mean baseline utility scores were statistically similar between the matched groups (OP: 0.609 ± 0.093, NONOP: 0.600 ± 0.091, P = 0.6401) and at 2 year min postop mean OP QALY was greater than NONOP (1.377 ± 0.345 vs. 1.256 ± 0.286, respectively, P < 0.01). For the subanalysis cohort, mean OP QALYs at 1, 2, and 3 years postoperative were all significantly greater than NONOP, P < 0.03 for all (1 yr: 0.651 ± 0.089 vs. 0.61 ± 0.079, 2 yr: 1.29 ± 0.157 vs. 1.189 ± 0.141, and 3 yr: 1.903 ± 0.235 vs. 1.749 ± 0.198, respectively). Matched OP had a larger QALYs gained (from baseline) at 2 year minimum postoperative (0.112 ± 0.243 vs. 0.008 ± 0.195, P < 0.01). For subanalysis of patients with complete 1 to 3 years data, OP had a significantly larger QALYs gained at 1, 2, and 3 years compared with NONOP: 1 year (0.073 ± 0.121 vs. 0.029 ± 0.082, P = 0.0447), 2 years (0.167 ± 0.232 vs. 0.036 ± 0.173, P = 0.0030), and 3years (0.238 ± 0.379 vs. 0.059 ± 0.258, P < 0.01).
  
  
  
  The operative treatment of adult spinal deformity results in significantly greater mean QALYs and QALYs gained at minimum 2 years postop as well as at the 1-, 2-, and 3-year time points compared with nonoperative management.
  
  
  
  3.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA.
authors.forename: Justin K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Scheer
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Baylor Scoliosis Center, Plano, TX.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hostin
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical Effectiveness, Baylor Scott & White Health, Dallas, TX.
authors.forename: Chessie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schwab
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical Effectiveness, Baylor Scott & White Health, Dallas, TX.
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lafage
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS.
authors.forename: Douglas C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR.
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Washington University, St. Lois, MO.
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.
authors.forename: Malla
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keefe
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Polly
authors.affiliation: Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children, Denver, CO.
authors.forename: Shay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bess
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA.
authors.forename: Christopher I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Shaffrey
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA.
authors.forename: Justin S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.
authors.forename: Christopher P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Ames
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016208:Databases, Factual; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057216:Propensity Score; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors