Study Design:Retrospective cohort study.Objectives:It is estimated that 10 000 patients seek medical care due to cervical radiculopathy
every year in Denmark. Although the natural course is usually favorable, around 20%
undergo surgery for cervical degenerative disease every year in Denmark. We aim to
evaluate the patient-reported results and satisfaction of anterior cervical
decompression and fusion over a 5-year period from a single Danish center for spine
surgery.Methods:This study is a retrospective study based on prospectively collected data from 318
consecutive patients treated with anterior cervical decompression and fusion over 1 to 3
levels. Data in the DaneSpine registry was collected pre- and postoperatively, and at 1
year after surgery. The outcome measures were Neck Disability Index (NDI), European
Quality of Life 5D (EQ-5D), visual analogue score (VAS), and Short Form-36 Physical
Component Summary (SF-36 PCS).Results:Of 318 cases enrolled, 272 (85.5%) had follow-up data available at a minimum 1-year
postoperatively. The mean preoperative NDI was 40.0 and improved to 22.7. Mean EQ-5D was
0.50 and improved to 0.70, and mean VAS arm was 60.4 improved to 26.4. All improvements
were statistically significant. A total of 74.3% were back to work 1 year after surgery.
Achieving minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in VAS neck and SF-36 PCS was
strongly correlated to patient satisfaction.Conclusion:Patients who undergo anterior cervical discectomy and fusion can expect improvement in
their pain and disability, with 74.3% of patients reporting a positive change in health
status after surgery.
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