A study, published in the Journal of Neurosurgery, examined whether long-term opioid use is associated with negative long-term clinical outcomes following transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion surgeries.
Study authors enrolled 93 patients who underwent one-level to two-level TLIFs between 2011 and 2014. Patients were divided two groups: those who used opioids preoperatively and those who did not.
Clinical scoring for the groups were conducted preoperatively and at a 12 month follow-up examination.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. Of all the participants, 60 patients took prescribed opioid medication prior to undergoing surgery.
2. The 60 patients who took opioids preoperative showed significantly higher scores for lower back pain (0.016) , greater disability (0.013) and lower physical component summary scores (0.03) at the follow-
up visit.
3. Postoperative mental component summary scores were lower in the group that did not take opioids before surgery.
4. There was no detection of opioid dose-related effects on leg and back pain, disability and component summary score, suggesting worse outcomes are not correlated with higher doses of opioid doses.
5. Study authors concluded, “The use of opioid medications to control pain before patients underwent lumbar fusion for degenerative lumbar conditions was associated with less favorable clinical outcomes
postoperatively.”