Results of lumbar discectomy: a study using 15 different evaluation methods.

Ninety-two patients who had undergone a primary excision of a lumbar disc were evaluated using 15 different criteria that evaluate the surgical outcome 2-15.5 years (average 8.8 years) following operation. The satisfactory results ranged from 62% to 84%. Criteria which relied on the subjective opinion of the patient gave the best results, while on the contrary the worst results were those that relied on functional criteria, such as return to work, return to previous employment, general activity level and need of further treatment. This variability in results observed with the same group of patients depends to a great extent on the nature of criteria used as well as on the design of those criteria. The study concludes that the reported outcomes for lumbar spinal surgery are influenced by the selection of the criteria used for the assessment of the end results.