Table 3.
Patient outcomes at 12 months after surgery, divided by cases performed before or after the estimated learning curve
| Variable | PTED |
Between-group difference | Microdiscectomy |
Between-group difference |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early cases | Later cases | Mean/% | With early cases | With later cases | ||
| VAS leg pain | 25.0 ± 31.0 | 20.7 ± 25.4 | 4.2 (-3.5 to 11.9) | 27.0 ± 29.1 | -2.0 (-10.5 to 6.4) | -6.2 (-11.2 to -1.3) |
| Oswestry Disability Index | 15.6 ± 17.5 | 13.9 ± 15.4 | 1.7 (-2.8 to 6.4) | 18.4 ± 18.8 | -2.7 (-8.1 to 2.6) | -4.5 (-7.7 to -1.4) |
| VAS back pain | 32.4 ± 29.8 | 24.4 ± 24.6 | 8.0 (0.5 to 15.4) | 29.7 ± 27.7 | 2.7 (-5.4 to 10.8) | -5.3 (-10.0 to -0.6) |
| VAS quality of life | 71.2 ± 23.2 | 72.1 ± 19.1 | -0.9 (-6.7 to 4.9) | 67.0 ± 21.2 | 4.2 (-2.0 to 10.4) | 5.1 (1.7 to 9.1) |
| Physical component summary | 47.3 ± 11.3 | 48.0 ± 10.0 | -0.7 (-3.7 to 2.3) | 45.7 ± 10.4 | 1.6 (-1.5 to 4.6) | 2.2 (0.4 to 4.1) |
| Mental component summary | 50.1 ± 9.8 | 52.2 ± 8.0 | -2.1 (-4.5 to 0.4) | 50.3 ± 9.6 | -0.2 (-3.0 to 2.5) | 1.9 (0.3 to 3.5) |
| Recovered from symptoms | 63.8% | 76.0% | 1.8 (1.0 to 3.3) | 64.0% | 1.0 (0.6 to 1.8) | 1.8 (1.2 to 2.6) |
| Recovered from leg pain | 69.0% | 76.9% | 1.5 (0.8 to 2.8) | 69.0% | 1.0 (0.5 to 1.9) | 1.5 (1.0 to 2.2) |
| Satisfied with change in symptoms | 62.1% | 71.2% | 1.5 (0.8 to 2.8) | 61.0% | 1.0 (0.6 to 1.8) | 1.5 (1.1 to 2.3) |
| Satisfied with result of treatment | 63.8% | 75.1% | 1.7 (0.9 to 3.2) | 6.0% | 1.1 (0.6 to 2.0) | 1.6 (1.0 to 2.3) |
Mean values of continuous outcomes are described with their standard deviation. Adjusted between-group differences are shown with their 95% confidence interval (CI). For the Likert scales, proportions are shown with their adjusted odds ratio and respective 95% CI.
VAS, visual analogue scale.