Can Social Function Improve in Older Patients Undergoing Multi-Level Spinal Deformity Surgery?

Design: Post-hoc analysis of data from prospective multicenter observational study. Objectives: Adult spinal deformity (ASD) can have significant impact on various aspects of a patient’s social life. This study aims to examine the impact of ASD surgery on the social functioning among elderly patients. Methods: Patients ≥60 years undergoing ≥5 levels of spinal fusion from 12 international centers were enrolled and followed up 2 years post-operatively. The outcome measures of interest in the current report were questions 14 and 18 of the Scoliosis Research Society-22r questionnaire (SRS-22r), and question 9 from the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Results: 219 patients met the inclusion criteria, with a median age of 67.5 and 80.4% being female. More than a third were employed or homemakers, 60.3% were retired and 25.7% showed cognitive impairment. For the SRS-22r Q14, at baseline, 40.6% of patients felt their back condition moderately or severely affected their personal relationships compared to 14.7% at 2-years. For SRS-22r Q18, at baseline, 47.7% of patients felt their back often or very often limited them going out with friends/family compared to 17.1% at 2-years. For the ODI, Q9, 8.7% of patients felt that their social was normal and does not cause them extra pain pre-op compared to 44.1% of patients at 2-years. Conclusion: While many factors can affect a patient’s social function, in this cohort ASD surgery had a positive impact on social function.The ClinicalTrails.gov identifier: NCT02035280.