Analyses of effect factors associated with the postoperative dissatisfaction of patients undergoing open-door laminoplasty for cervical OPLL: a retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effect factors associated with the postoperative dissatisfaction of patients undergoing open-door laminoplasty for cervical OPLL. METHODS: In this study, 194 patients, who underwent open-door laminoplasty for cervical OPLL from January 2009 to January 2016, were retrospectively reviewed. The Patient Satisfaction Index (PSI) was collected at discharge, 6 months, 1 year, and the last follow-up. According to the PSI, patients were divided into satisfied group and dissatisfied group. The possible effect factors included demographic variables and surgery-related variables. RESULTS: At discharge, 42 (21.6%) patients were in the dissatisfied group, as compared to the satisfied group, the hospitalization cost, hospital stay, postoperative depression, the axial neck pain, delayed wound healing, and VAS-neck had significant statistical differences. At 6-month follow-up, 25 (12.9%) patients were in the dissatisfied group. The axial neck pain and JOA score had significant statistical differences between the two groups, and no significant differences were found between the two groups in other items. At 1 year with 18 (9.3%) dissatisfied patients and last follow-up with 14 (7.2%) dissatisfied patients, the JOA score and symptom recurrence had significant statistical differences. For further analysis, the dissatisfied patients with axial neck pain at 6 months were significantly higher than that at other terms and the JOA score of the two groups increased gradually with prolonging of restoration years but compared with the dissatisfied group, the JOA scores were obviously better in the satisfied group at the last follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, to patients undergoing open-door laminoplasty for cervical OPLL, hospitalization cost and neck pain might be mainly associated with patient dissatisfaction at the early and middle recovery. Patient dissatisfaction at the long-term treatment outcome might be mainly associated with the low improvement rate of JOA score and symptom recurrence.