Predictors of patient satisfaction following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for cervical radiculopathy

Abstract Objective To evaluate whether preoperative patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and immediate postoperative arm pain improvement can predict patient satisfaction following anterior cervical spine surgery. Methods A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from 193 patients with cervical radiculopathy undergoing surgery at Aarhus University Hospital was performed. Standardized questionnaires were used to assess demographics, clinical outcomes and complications preoperatively, postoperatively and at 1-year follow-up. PROMs covered Visual Analogue Scale for arm pain (VAS-AP) and neck pain (VAS-NP), Neck Disability Index (NDI), EQ-5D 3-level version (EQ-5D-3L), and satisfaction. Immediate upper extremity pain status was assembled from medical records. Results PROMs significantly improved (p Conclusions Prolonged symptom duration and immediate pain improvement may have an impact on patient satisfaction.