Cost-Utility Analysis of Microdiscectomy Versus Non-Operative Management for the Treatment of Chronic Radiculopathy Secondary to Lumbar Disc Herniation

Description

In this presentation, Andrew Glennie discusses a trial focused on the Cost-Utility Analysis of Microdiscectomy compared to Non-operative Management for the treatment of Chronic Radiculopathy. He expresses gratitude for the opportunity to speak and acknowledges his co-authors for their contributions. The analysis, derived from randomized controlled trials supplemented with institutional cost data, aims to investigate the effectiveness and costs associated with surgical versus nonsurgical treatments.



Glennie highlights that surgical management proves more effective than nonsurgical options over a year but questions the costs inherent to it. He elaborates on the methodology, explaining that costs were evaluated through the Ontario Case Costing Initiative and other data sources, calculating quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) based on patient outcomes. The cost-effectiveness ratio for microdiscectomy is reported to be significantly low, indicating that the intervention provides great value per quality-adjusted life year gained.



Further, the results show that as time progresses, patients undergoing microdiscectomy gain more QALYs while costs stabilize, suggesting long-term benefits of surgical intervention. Glennie compares the findings with previous literature, indicating that the cost-effectiveness of microdiscectomy is exceptionally favorable when contrasted against other treatments such as hip and knee replacements or deformity surgeries.



Concluding, he underscores the importance of these findings for decision-makers and advocates for prioritizing early surgical intervention in chronic radiculopathy cases. He thanks the audience for their attention.

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