Table 2.
Neuropsychological test results, reliable change index and POCD incidence
| Test | Baseline | p value | POD 6 | p value | 4-year follow-up | p value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dexa | Placebo | Dexa | Placebo | Dexa | Placebo | ||||
| Mini-Mental State Examination | 28.1 ± 1.3 | 28.3 ± 1.1 | 0.182 | 28.0 ± 1.3 | 27.5 ± 1.4 | 0.046 | 27.2 ± 2.5 | 27.2 ± 2.3 | 0.945 |
| RAVLT -Immediate recall | 41.2 ± 8.9 | 42.2 ± 8.8 | 0.547 | 36.5 ± 8.9 | 37.2 ± 11.3 | 0.725 | 33.6 ± 9.2 | 33.8 ± 10.1 | 0.906 |
| RAVLT - Delayed recall | 7.6 ± 3.2 | 7.6 ± 3.1 | 0.922 | 7.2 ± 11.1 | 5.4 ± 3.2 | 0.249 | 6.5 ± 2.6 | 5.9 ± 3.0 | 0.225 |
| Visual memory span | 9.8 ± 3.6 | 9.7 ± 3.2 | 0.855 | 9.4 ± 3.6 | 9.3 ± 3.8 | 0.787 | 9.9 ± 3.1 | 10.3 ± 3.1 | 0.519 |
| Digit span forward | 7.0 ± 1.2 | 7.0 ± 1.2 | 0.894 | 7.0 ± 1.2 | 6.8 ± 1.2 | 0.580 | 6.7 ± 1.4 | 6.7 ± 1.4 | 0.820 |
| Digit span backward | 4.9 ± 1.5 | 5.1 ± 1.2 | 0.415 | 4.9 ± 1.7 | 4.8 ± 1.5 | 0.776 | 4.4 ± 1.7 | 4.4 ± 1.6 | 0.941 |
| Symbol Digit Modalities Test | 31.8 ± 11.8 | 33.2 ± 10.2 | 0.505 | 29.6 ± 11.4 | 28.5 ± 11.2 | 0.616 | 32.4 ± 11.8 | 32.2 ± 12.1 | 0.947 |
| Simple reaction time | 1300.0 ± 365.1 | 1278.8 ± 460.5 | 0.784 | 1347.1 ± 450.1 | 1444.3 ± 540.7 | 0.293 | 1576.9 ± 531.0 | 1840.8 ± 832.8 | 0.042 |
| Reliable change index | 0.564 ± 1.5 | -0.075 ± 1.0 | 0.007 | 0.296 ± 0.8 | -0.017 ± 1.0 | 0.075 | |||
| POCD incidence | 8 (14.8) | 18 (29.0) | 0.067 | 6 (11.1) | 15 (24.2) | 0.068 | |||
Higher scores indicate better test performance except for simple reaction time, for which shorter time indicates better performance
The reliable change index is the sum of the Z-scores for the different tests. A positive value suggests an improvement, whereas a negative value suggests a decline in overall cognitive performance
POD 6, 6th postoperative day; Dexa, dexamethasone group; RAVLT, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test; POCD, postoperative cognitive decline
Data are presented as numbers (%) or means ± SD as appropriate