Elective Lumbar Spine Surgery in Depressed Patients: Is it Worth it?

Background: The objective of this study is to compare surgical results (pain, function, and satisfaction) between a group of depressed patients and a nondepressed group who had been operated on for a degenerative lumbar condition.

Methods: Prospective observational study. Preoperative pain (lumbar and radicular visual analog scale [VAS]), function (Oswestry Disability Index [ODI]), and depression (Zung depression scale) data were collected in patients listed to be operated on for a lumbar degenerative condition.

Management of degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis: an evidence-based review.

Lumbar spinal stenosis has become one of the most disabling pathologies in the elderly population.Some additional conditions such as foraminal stenosis or degenerative spondylosis with a history of back pain and leg pain must be considered before treatment.A completely appropriate protocol and unified management of spinal stenosis have not yet been well defined.