An observational study on the outcome after surgery for lumbar disc herniation in adolescents compared with adults based on the Swedish Spine Register.
Disc-related sciatica has a prevalence of about 2% in adults, but is rare in adolescents. If conservative treatment is unsuccessful, surgery is an option.
The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of surgery for lumbar disc herniation in adolescents with adults in the Swedish Spine Register.
This is a prospective observational study: National Quality Register.
This study included 151 patients, 18 years or younger, 4,386 patients, 19-39 years, and 6,078 patients, 40 years or older, followed for 1-2 years after surgery.
The primary outcomes were patient satisfaction and global assessment of leg and back pain. Secondary outcomes were Visual Analog Scale (VAS) leg pain, VAS back pain, Oswestry disability index (ODI), and EuroQol-5 dimensions (EQ-5D).
Statistical analyses were performed with the Welch F test, the chi-square test, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
At follow-up, 86% of the adolescents were satisfied compared with 78% in the younger adults and 76% in the older adults group (p