Trends of the Oswestry Disability Index in Adult Spinal Deformity Patients: A 3-Year Study

• Published in: World neurosurgery Vol. 181; pp. e947 - e952
• Main Authors: Azam, Faraaz, Furtado, Kailee, Anand, Soummitra, Dragun, Anthony, Nguyen, Madelina, Shukla, Ishav, Hicks, William H., Hall, Kristen, Akbik, Omar, Bagley, Carlos A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.01.2024
• Subjects: Adult spinal deformity; Oswestry disability index; Patient outcomes; Spine surgery; Thoracolumbar; SRS-22R; ASD; ODI; PROM; Patient outcomes; Oswestry disability index; Spine surgery; Thoracolumbar; ADL; Adult spinal deformity
• ISSN: 1878-8750; 1878-8769; 1878-8769
• DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2023.11.018

Patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD) undergoing operative treatment may have varying degrees of improvement in patient-reported outcomes. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) assesses improvement in quality of life. We aim to measure longitudinal outcomes of ODI scores over 3 years to determine if early ODI scores predict late ODI scores and to analyze longitudinal changes in ODI scores. Two hundred thirty-five patients above the age of 18 who underwent surgical correction of ASD at a single institution from 2016 to 2021 and completed ODI questionnaires at follow-up appointments met inclusion criteria. ODI scores were included from follow-up visits at 0 months (immediately postoperative) and within ±1 month of 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months. Percent change in ODI from 0 months was calculated, and unpaired t tests were conducted. ODI scores increased by 8.8% immediately postoperatively, and the percent change from preoperative ODI scores at each subsequent visit were as follows: −11.1% at 3 months, −21.4% at 6 months, −25.4% at 12 months, −28% at 18 months, −31.3% at 24 months, −25.7% at 30 months, and −36.5% at 36 months. ODI scores at each follow-up visit showed significant improvement from baseline (P < 0.001). There was an improvement in scores from 3 to 6 months (P = 0.04), but no significant difference in 6-month interval visits following 6 months. Our results demonstrate a significant and sustained improvement in ODI scores over 3 years following surgical correction of ASD. ODI scores were stable after 6 months, indicating that ODI scores at 6 months may be predictive of scores out to 3 years postoperatively. Examining individual components of ODI sub-scores and comparing ODI results to other PROMs are critical to better assess long-term outcomes in ASD.