Table 1.
Summary of preoperative characteristics
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of pilots | 24 |
| Mean age at operation in years (IQR) | 34.5 ( 30.0, 41.8) |
| Sex, no. (%) | |
| Male | 24 (100.0) |
| Female | 0 (0.0) |
| Hight, cm (range) | 172.4 (165–178) |
| Weight, kg (range) | 73.8 (54–90) |
| BMI, kg/m2 (range) | 24.8 (19.8–30.1) |
| Flying time, hours (IQR) | 2075.0 (1007.5, 3075.0) |
| Flight rating, no. (%) | |
| Third-grade | 5 (20.8) |
| Second-grade | 2 (8.3) |
| First-grade | 16 (66.7) |
| Top-grade | 1 (4.2) |
| Service, no. (%) | |
| Air Force | 20 (83.3) |
| Army | 4 (16.7) |
| Aircraft, no. (%) | |
| Fixed wing | 19 (79.2) |
| Rotary wing | 5 (20.8) |
| Tobacco use, no. (%) | |
| Yes | 5 (20.8) |
| No | 19 (79.2) |
| Main indication for surgery, no. (%) | |
| LDH | 18 (75.0) |
| LIS | 6 (25.0) |
BMI, body mass index; LDH, lumbar disc herniation; LIS, lumbar isthmic spondylolisthesis. The median and inter-quartile range (IQR) present continuous variables. Categorical variables are expressed as counts and percentages