Patient satisfaction with double-door laminoplasty for cervical compression myelopathy

Patient satisfaction with posterior laminoplasty for cervical compression myelopathy is not yet established. Moreover, postoperative patient-reported outcomes (PROs) associated with patient satisfaction remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate patient satisfaction after double-door laminoplasty for cervical compression myelopathy, and to identify the postoperative patient-reported outcomes associated with patient satisfaction.

This retrospective study included 97 patients with cervical compression myelopathy who underwent double-door laminoplasty between 2002 and 2010 in our institution [mean follow-up: 58 months (range 12–123 months)]. We assessed postoperative PROs from questionnaires administered before surgery and at the latest follow-up. These questionnaires included the Neck Disability Index, physical and mental component summary of Short Form-36, EuroQol-5 dimension, Japanese Orthopaedic Association Cervical Myelopathy Evaluation Questionnaire (JOACMEQ), and a numerical rating scale of pain or numbness in the neck, arms, and scapular lesion. Satisfaction was evaluated on the basis of a seven-point scale. Patients were divided into two groups: satisfied (very satisfied, satisfied, slightly satisfied) and dissatisfied (neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, slightly dissatisfied, dissatisfied, very dissatisfied). All PROs and the effectiveness of surgical treatment assessed by JOACMEQ were compared between both groups.

The satisfied group comprised 69 patients (71 %). Univariate analysis revealed a significant difference in scapular pain, Neck Disability Index, physical component summary of Short Form-36, postoperative mental component summary of Short Form-36, and improvement of lower extremity function postoperatively between both groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that there was a significantly higher proportion of patients with improved lower extremity function in the satisfied group than in the dissatisfied group.

In conclusion, 71 % of the patients who underwent double-door laminoplasty for cervical compression myelopathy were satisfied. The findings of this study, which examines the association between patient satisfaction and PROs, suggest that improvement in lower extremity function following surgical intervention affects patient satisfaction in those with cervical compression myelopathy.