While functional outcomes for spine surgery patients show little variation depending on the age of the operating surgeon, patient satisfaction may be higher among those treated by younger surgeons, according to a study published April 21 in JAMA Network Open.
The study looked at 3,421 patients who underwent elective surgery for degenerative spine conditions.
They grouped surgeons performing procedures into three age groups: younger (35-44 years), middle-aged (45-59 years), or older (60 years or more) surgeons.
Among the three groups, there were no major differences on objective measures of disability and pain 12 months later.
Patients involved filled out baseline surveys and surveys one year postoperation. Of those, 48% were treated by middle-aged surgeons, 28% by older surgeons and 24% by younger surgeons.
Researchers found that older surgeons performed more lumbar spine surgeries and fusions than their peers, while middle-aged surgeons operated on younger patients and treated more degenerative disk disease. Older surgeons also performed more complicated and invasive procedures.
The study determined that patients were more likely to report higher satisfaction scores when treated by younger surgeons.
