The predictive value of psychometric analysis in patients treated by extirpation of lumbar intervertebral disc herniation

The authors studied the predictive value of a psychometric evaluation of 50 patients (14 women, 36 men) with a mean age of 40 years who were treated b y extirpation of a lumbar disc herniation. Patient satisfaction was evaluat ed by an unbiased observer. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Stare- Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and a Pain Visual Analogue Scale (PVAS) wer e used to assess pain and psychological distress before surgery and 3 and 1 2 months after surgery. Two years after surgery, 37 patients were contented with the surgical outcome and 10 patients were not. Three patients did not return the questionnaire. Before surgery, the patients who later became di scontented were more depressed, more anxious, and experienced more pain. In a discriminant analysis, a combination of BDI, STAI, and PVAS scores corre ctly classified 78% of the discontented and 76% of the contented patients. The study shows psychometric analysis is a valuable tool for predicting the outcome of surgical treatment for lumbar disc herniation.