Researchers at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York investigated lumbar spine surgery outcomes for patients with Parkinson disease, according to The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
The study included 96 patients with Parkinson disease who had lumbar spine surgery between 2002 and 2012. The mean patient age was 63 years old. Researchers evaluated patients' charts, radiographs and outcome surveys. Complications and further surgical procedures were also taken into account.
Here are four findings from the study:
1. The study found 19 early complications.
2. The visual analog scale for back pain improved from 7.4 cm preoperatively to 1.8 cm postoperatively.
3. The Oswestry Disability Index score decreased to 17.7 points from 54.1 at the most recent follow-up.
4. Twenty of the patients had revision surgery.
Although Parkinson patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery experienced a higher rate of complications, the researchers concluded, "the overall outcome of spine surgery in patients with mild to moderate Parkinson disease is good, with improvement of spine-related pain."
The study authors suggest further studies on the topic with a larger sample size.