Table 1.
Preoperative characteristics of older versus younger patients treated with lumbar discectomya
| Characteristic | Age ≥60 (n=38) |
Age <60 (n=512) |
Difference (95% CI) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 65.0±4.0 | 41.9±9.2 | 23.1 (21.6, 24.6) | <0.001 |
| Male sex | 24 (63.2) | 303 (59.2) | 4.0 (−12.4, 18.1) | 0.73 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 26.7±4.0 | 26.2±4.1 | 0.4 (−0.9, 1.8) | 0.55 |
| Current smoker | 9 (23.7) | 235 (45.9) | −22.2 (−33.8, −6.1) | 0.01 |
| Lumbar (L1/L2 to L4/L5) herniation | 27 (71.1) | 214 (41.8) | 29.3 (12.9, 41.9) | <0.001 |
| Leg pain | 84.8±13.1 | 80.5±14.9 | 4.2 (−0.7, 9.1) | 0.09 |
| Oswestry Disability Index | 62.6±13.9 | 58.3±13.0 | 4.3 (0.0, 8.6) | 0.05 |
| Physical Component Summary scoreb | 27.4±7.0 | 28.9±6.0 | −1.5 (−3.5, 0.5) | 0.14 |
| Mental Component Summary scoreb | 40.4±13.6 | 40.6±12.9 | −0.2 (−4.5, 4.1) | 0.94 |
Notes: aValues are mean ± standard deviation, or count (percentage); bScores derived from the SF-36 questionnaire.
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; SF-36, 36-Item Short Form Health Survey.