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Outcomes research and lumbar discectomy.

Lumbar discectomy is generally performed to reduce pain or disability and thereby improve quality of life. Important surgery-related results, therefore, include the patients' perceptions of the effect of surgery on their health and ability to perform daily tasks. Spine surgeons should have an understanding of basic concepts of outcome measurement and be able to select appropriate questionnaires and incorporate them into their clinical practices and research. A brief review of the fundamental principles of outcome research is presented, and the recent lumbar discectomy literature concerning these ideas is summarized. Properly designed, conducted, and reported outcome studies of lumbar discectomy will assist the spine surgeon in selecting appropriate patients for surgery, educating them regarding expected results, and comparing this procedure with novel treatments for lumbar disc disease.