Teens more satisfied than adults with lumbar disc herniation Sx

(HealthDay)—Adolescent patients are more satisfied with surgery for lumbar disc herniation than younger or older adults, according to a study published in the June 1 issue of The Spine Journal.

Tobias Lagerbäck, from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues compared the outcomes of surgery for lumbar disc herniation in adolescents and adults using data from the Swedish Spine Register. Data were included for 151 patients, aged 18 years or younger; 4,386 patients, aged 19 to 39 years; and 6,078 patients, aged 40 years or older. All patients were followed for one to two years after surgery.

The researchers found that 86 percent of the adolescents were satisfied at follow-up, compared with 78 percent of younger adults and 76 percent of older adults (P < 0.001). Eighty-seven percent of adolescents, and 78 and 71 percent of younger and older adults, respectively, experienced significantly decreased leg pain (P < 0.001), according to the global assessment. For back pain, the corresponding figures were 88, 73, and 70 percent (P < 0.001). There were significant postoperative improvements in Visual Analog Scale (VAS) leg pain, VAS back pain, Oswestry Disability Index, and EuroQol-5 dimensions in all groups (all P < 0.001).

"The adolescent age group was more satisfied with the treatment than the adult groups," the authors write. "There was a significant improvement in all age groups after surgery."