• Matthew J Solomito, Regina O Kostyun, and Heeren Makanji.
• Research Department, The Bone and Joint Institute at Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT,USA.
• Spine. 2024 Jul 22.

Study DesignRetrospective comparative cohort.ObjectiveInvestigate how mental health, as measured by the PROMIS-10 Global Mental Health T-Score (MHT), influences a patient's recovery up to one year following elective lumbar fusion.Summary Of Background DataPatients with mental health concerns in need of lumbar fusions have increased. Evidence suggests that mental disorders influence a patient's postoperative recovery; however, there is a paucity of information detailing the association between mental health and outcomes.Methods351 patients that underwent one or two level elective lumbar fusion between April 2020 and June 2023 and completed all follow-up evaluations for up to 1 year post fusion were analyzed for this study. Patients were stratified by their MHT score (Above Average [AA] >50, Average [A] 40-50, Below Average [BA] <40) regardless of mental illness diagnosis. Outcome measures including: pain at hospital discharge and at 3, 6, and 12 months post fusion, patient satisfaction, and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score at 3, 6, and 12 months post fusion were compared among groups.ResultsNearly 20% of patients reported below average mental health during their preoperative evaluation. After controlling for confounders, findings suggested that patients in the [BA] group reported 2 pain levels higher than the [AA] group at each time point and 1 point higher than the [A] group. Patients in the [BA] group performed worse on the ODI at all-time points compared to the other study groups. Patients in the [AA] group were 3 times more likely to be satisfied with their outcomes compared to the [BA] group.ConclusionThe MHT was an independent predictor of pain, satisfaction, and ODI scores for up to 1 year post fusion, while a mental disorder diagnosis was not. An MHT score below 40 may be risk factor for patients undergoing elective lumbar fusion.Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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