A comparison of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory as predictors of successful treatment by lumbar laminectomy.

One hundred twenty-nine patients who were treated by lumbar laminectomy for discogenic disease were evaluated preoperation by means of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). At follow-up evaluation, there were 71% good, 18% fair, and 11% poor surgical results. Patients with fair or poor outcomes scored significantly higher in the hypochondriasis, depression, hysteria, and psychasthenia scales in preoperative MMPI testing. These patients also showed significant differences on the MCMI asocial, gregarious, and neurotic depression scales. The MMPI profiles had a higher correlation with successful treatment than did those of the MCMI. The MMPI can help identify patients whose pain syndrome has a significant psychosocial component, and it can easily be used by orthopedic surgeons to facilitate referral and treatment planning.