• Emre Durdag, Serdal Albayrak, Omer Ayden, Ibrahim Burak Atci, Hulya Bitlisli, Deniz Kara, and Nejat Yilmaz.
• Elazig Training and Research Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Elazığ, Turkey.
• Turk Neurosurg. 2015 Jan 1;25(3):389-93.

AimCases of failed back and spine surgery have increased significantly recently, which leads to patient hesitation in deciding about whether to be operated on. In this article, we present a survey investigating refusal reasons for spinal surgery, and we emphasize the effect of failed back surgery.Material And MethodsA survey was conducted among 100 patients who were admitted to the outpatient clinic of neurosurgery at the Elazığ Training and Research Hospital. All of the patients were recommended spinal surgery for various reasons, but did not want to be operated on. Demographic data for the patients, indication of the recommended surgery, the reason for the patient's refusal of the operation, information about previous neurosurgical operations and the history of dissatisfaction with the surgery of an acquaintance were recorded. The data obtained were evaluated statistically and analyzed by percentage.Results46 patients stated they had distrust of surgery, and 54 patients did not want to be operated on for personal reasons. When the two groups were compared, neurosurgical operations and the history of dissatisfaction of the patient or an acquaintance was significantly higher in the first group (p < 0.001). It was found that 40% of all the patients (n = 40) had a past unpleasant neurosurgical experience that was either personal or relevant.ConclusionSpinal surgery is a preferred subspecialty of neurosurgery. However, patients' discontent with spinal surgery has been rising gradually in recent years. An accurate indication and proper surgical technique is essential for increasing satisfaction with spinal surgery. Minimally invasive interventions must be considered if necessary. The postoperative expectations of the physician and the patient must also be carefully defined.

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