Comparative study of long-term efficacy of spinal fusion surgery and non-surgical treatment for chronic radicular lumbar disease

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the long-term efficacy of spinal fusion surgery versus non-surgical treatment for chronic radicular lumbar spondylopathy. METHODS: A total of 93 patients with chronic radicular lumbar spondylopathy admitted to our hospital from February 2020 to February 2021 were randomly divided into a non-surgical group (n=46, conservative treatment) and a surgical group (n=47, spinal fusion surgery). Efficacy, recurrence rate, pain index, lumbar function recovery, and quality of life were evaluated and compared between the groups. RESULTS: The surgical group had a higher total effective rate (97.87 vs. 86.96%, p<0.05) and a lower recurrence rate after 1 year (4.26 vs. 21.74%, p<0.05) compared to the non-surgical group. There was no significant difference in visual analog scale scores for lower back pain and lower limb pain between the groups before treatment and for the first 3 days (p>0.05). However, at 1 month, 3 months, and 1 year after treatment, the visual analog scale scores were significantly lower in the surgical group (p<0.05). The Japanese Orthopedic Association score showed no significant difference before treatment (p>0.05) but increased significantly in the surgical group after 1 month, 3 months, and 1 year (p<0.05). Similarly, there was no significant difference in the Short Form 36-Item Health Survey score before treatment (p>0.05), but the surgical group had significantly higher scores after 1 year (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Spinal fusion surgery offers better long-term efficacy than non-surgical treatment for chronic radicular lumbar spondylopathy. It effectively alleviates lower back and limb pain, promotes lumbar function recovery, and improves quality of life, making it a recommended treatment option.