Household income is associated with return to surgery following discectomy for far lateral disc herniation.

Background: Numerous studies have demonstrated that household income is independently predictive of postsurgical morbidity and mortality, but few studies have elucidated this relationship in a purely spine surgery population. This study aims to correlate household income with adverse events after discectomy for far lateral disc herniation (FLDH).

Methods: All adult patients (N.=144) who underwent FLDH surgery at a single, multihospital, 1659-bed university health system (2013-2020) were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the relationship between household income and adverse postsurgical events, including unplanned hospital readmissions, ED visits, and reoperations.

Results: Mean age of the population was 61.72±11.55 years. Mean household income was $78,283±26,996; 69 (47.9%) were female; and 126 (87.5%) were non-Hispanic white. Ninety-two patients underwent open and fifty-two underwent endoscopic FLDH surgery. Each additional dollar decrease in household income was significantly associated with increased risk of reoperation of any kind within 90-days, but not 30-days, after the index admission. However, household income did not predict risk of readmission or ED visit within either 30-days or 30-90-days postsurgery.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that household income may predict reoperation following FLDH surgery. Additional research is warranted into the relationship between household income and adverse neurosurgical outcomes.