Is age a prognostic factor of postoperative outcome of lumbar disc herniation operations?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of the patients age on preoperative symptoms and outcome.

METHODS: The general data, symptoms, signs, and neurological examination findings were recorded from 511 patients between 2000 and 2006 at Vakif Gureba Hospital and Afyon Kocatepe University Neurosurgery Departments, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey. The mean follow-up of the patients was 44.7 months. All patients younger than 64 were defined as younger patients (n=449). The others were defined as elderly patients (n=62). The measuring method of the outcome was visual analogue rating scale (VAS).

RESULTS: Preoperative and postoperative VAS values were found similar in both the younger and older group. Only preoperative differences were found in the older group, due to systemic disease.

CONCLUSION: The outcome was not statistically different in both groups, indicating that age is not a valuable prognostic factor for lumbar discectomy.