Lumbar microdecompression in elderly versus general adult patients: Comparable outcomes and costs despite group differences

Ziyad O Knio; Samuel Rosas; Michael S Schallmo; Suman Medda; Tadhg J O'Gara

doi:10.1016/j.jor.2019.09.005

Lumbar microdecompression in elderly versus general adult patients: Comparable outcomes and costs despite group differences

J Orthop. 2019 Sep 11:18:99-103. doi: 10.1016/j.jor.2019.09.005. eCollection 2020 Mar-Apr.

Authors

Ziyad O Knio¹, Samuel Rosas¹, Michael S Schallmo¹, Suman Medda¹, Tadhg J O'Gara^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
² Department of Neurosurgery, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.

Abstract

This study investigated differences between patients <65 and ≥65 years of age following lumbar microdecompression. Differences between age groups were investigated with univariate analyses. A linear mixed effects model was fit to the study outcomes. 144 patients were studied. There was no difference in two-year outcomes between the age groups. Outcome measures showed improvement compared to baseline at one- and two-years (p < 0.001). Age group had a significant effect on back pain (p = 0.016). Patients ≥65 years of age may experience greater relief in back pain following microdecompression. Nonetheless, significant improvement is observed in both age groups at two-years.

Keywords: Lumbar nerve decompression; Lumbar spinal stenosis; Microdecompression; Minimally invasive surgery; Tubular decompression.