RECONSTRUCTIVE SPINAL SURGERY - ASSESSMENT OF OUTCOME

One of the foremost problems in evaluating patients who have had spina l surgery is the difficulty in reliably assessing changes in symptoms and function attributable to the operative procedure. In this study, a questionnaire was sent to patients who had had spinal surgery at leas t 6 months earlier. The data were entered into a data base that contai ned information about the surgical procedure. Correlation studies were conducted and t tests were used to find statistically significant dif ferences. Seventy-two patients returned the completed questionnaire. T he rate of return to work was significantly lower among those involved in workers' compensation or litigation and those with prolonged preop erative unemployment. Depression inversely correlated with satisfactio n, the number of dissatisfied patients correlating directly with the n umber of patients significantly depressed. Physical deconditioning, ch ange in attitude and perception, preinjury job dissatisfaction, second ary gain, and other medical conditions significantly decreased the pro babilities of return to work and satisfaction.