What’s New in Spine Surgery

One of the more dramatic trends in spine surgery is increased and systematic attention to outcomes. Patient-reported outcome (PRO) questionnaires are becoming the standard measure for treatment effectiveness following spine surgery, as opposed to surgeon-reported results. The new trend assumes that the patient’s perceptions are the true measure of success. To this end, a number of PRO questionnaires have been developed. The Oswestry Disability Index, Short Form 36 (SF-36), Core Outcome Measures Index, and Neck Disability Index are common, subjective indices currently used. The Oswestry Disability Index is a functional index that asks patients to rate outcomes including pain, functional limitations (walking, lifting, sitting, and standing), social life, sexual behavior, sleep, and personal care. This is an ascending scale with 100 as the maximum disability.