gms | German Medical Science

63rd Annual Meeting of the German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC)
Joint Meeting with the Japanese Neurosurgical Society (JNS)

German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC)

13 - 16 June 2012, Leipzig

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Duration of symptoms influences the outcome after ACDF due to cervical disc disease

Meeting Abstract

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  • C. Hessler - Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
  • J. Regelsberger - Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
  • M. Westphal - Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. Japanische Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. 63. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC), Joint Meeting mit der Japanischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (JNS). Leipzig, 13.-16.06.2012. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2012. DocDO.13.01

doi: 10.3205/12dgnc114, urn:nbn:de:0183-12dgnc1148

Published: June 4, 2012

© 2012 Hessler et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.

Outline

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Objective: The practical relevance of the duration of symptoms before surgical treatment for the postoperative outcome has not been clarified in patients who undergo ACDF due to cervical disc disease. This study is targeted to analyse the outcome of neck/arm pain and sensorimotor function dependent on its duration before surgery.

Methods: Between 01/01 and 31/12/2008, 67 patients underwent ACDF for cervical disc disease. All patients were assessed for neck/arm pain and sensorimotor function upon hospitalization and 7 months following surgery. Due to the patients anamnesis the duration of symptoms before surgery was known; hence its influence on the outcome of the parameters investigated in this study could be researched.

Results: 32 (47.8%) were female and 35 (52.2%) male. The average age was 53 years (19–81). 100% of the patients who suffered from neck/arm pain < 1 month before surgery and 91% of the patients with neck/arm pain > 12 months had less pain on follow-up. While 100% of the patients with sensorimotor function deficits since < 1 month before surgery showed an improvement on follow-up, only 40% with a deficient sensorimotor activity since > 12 months prior surgery improved their sensorimotor status until day of follow-up examination.

Conclusions: In our study collective the chances of experiencing a recovery of symptoms following ACDF are decreasing with its duration before surgery. We found a statistically significant association (p < 0.05) between the probability of a full recovery of neck/arm pain and sensorimotor function deficits dependent on the duration of these symptoms before surgery. Hence, even if ACDF in most cases is considered a routine-procedure, the date of surgery should be timed close to diagnoses.