Immediate Postoperative Pain Scores Predict Neck Pain Profile up to 1 Year Following Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion

Abstract

Study Design:Retrospective cohort review.Objective:To assess whether immediate postoperative neck pain scores accurately predict 12-month visual analog scale–neck pain (VAS-NP) outcomes following Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion surgery (ACDF).Methods:This was a retrospective study of 82 patients undergoing elective ACDF surgery at a major academic medical center. Patient reported outcomes measures VAS-NP scores were recorded on the first postoperative day, then at 6-weeks, 3, 6, and 12-months after surgery. Multivariate correlation and logistic regression methods were utilized to determine whether immediate postoperative VAS-NP score accurately predicted 1-year patient reported VAS-NP Scores.Results:Overall, 46.3% male, 25.6% were smokers, and the mean age and body mass index (BMI) were 53.7 years and 28.28 kg/m2, respectively. There were significant correlations between immediate postoperative pain scores and neck pain scores at 6 weeks VAS-NP (P = .0015), 6 months VAS-NP (P = .0333), and 12 months VAS-NP (P = .0247) after surgery. Furthermore, immediate postoperative pain score is an independent predictor of 6 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year VAS-NP scores.Conclusion:Our study suggests that immediate postoperative patient reported neck pain scores accurately predicts and correlates with 12-month VAS-NP scores after an ACDF procedure. Patients with high neck pain scores after surgery are more likely to report persistent neck pain 12 months after index surgery.

Suitability of Cervical Oblique Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Surgical Planning

“…The purpose of the current study was to determine the comparative PPV of cervical oblique MRI, which can thus help clinicians to predict prognosis after surgery, with a prospective view of pain. Adogwa et al 1) demonstrated that immediate postoperative pain score accurately predicts and correlates with 1-year pain score after an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) procedure. Thus, we hypothesized that patients who experienced immediate pain relief were diagnosed and treated appropriately based on MRI findings.…”

The Impact of Diabetes on Outcomes and Health Care Costs Following Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion

“…Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is one of the most commonly performed procedures for patients suffering from a wide spectrum of cervical spine pathologies, 1 including degenerative disc disease, myelopathy, radiculopathy, trauma, and infection. 2 , 3 Advantages to the procedure include low postoperative complication rates, 4 consistent good results, and relative procedural ease, thereby making it a popular surgical strategy for patients with maladies of the cervical spine.…”