The effects of psychological distress after surgery in patients undergoing lumbar spinal fusion

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychological distress pre-operatively, at 3, 6, and 12 months in patients who underwent lumbar spine fusion surgery. Methods A total of 440 patients received instrumented lumbar spine fusion were enrolled. Psychological distress was evaluated using the Modified Somatic Perception Questionnaire (MSPQ) and the Modified Zung Depressive Index (ZDI). The results of lumbar fusion surgery were evaluated using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA-29), and the visual analog scale (VAS). Results Psychological distress was reported among 23% of patients and 7, 5.5, and 4.0% of the patients preoperatively, at 3, 6, and 12 months after lumbar surgery, respectively. The mean MSPQ score decreased from 8.78 (before surgery) to 4.30, 3.52, and 3.43 at 3, 6 and 12 months in after surgery, respectively, in patients with psychological distress patients (p