subject: How many failed back surgeries are performed annually? [print this page] How many failed back surgeries are performed annually?
Due to to the the sheer number and different types of back surgeries that are carried out annually, it is difficult to put an exact figure on how many failed back surgeries there are each year.
However, to get some idea of the figures involved, there are approximately 200,000 laminectomies (an operation which removes vertebra from the back) each year and of those 200,000 it is widely estimated that up to 30% are classed as unsuccessful which really is an astonishingly high figure.
When you then consider that equals around 60,000 it doesn't take long to realise that there can be quite a risk with this kind of surgery. It could be argued that due to the many scientific developments that are taking place in medicine, these numbers should be decreasing but it must be said that at the moment, these figures make quite depressing reading for anyone who is about to go through surgery of this type.
Whist it is true that back pain is very common, for those with severe back pain problems the only light at the end of the tunnel is back surgery but when faced with the kind of failed back surgeries statistics that have just been mentioned, the decision whether to opt for back surgery or not can be a very distressing decision to make, for not only the patient but also the physician.
There are many reasons why back surgery can fail and contrary to popular belief, not all problems are down to the surgeon. There are several variables concerning back surgery which a doctor will have no way of spotting until the actual surgery takes place. Examples of these variables are cartilage degeneration and bone healing to name but a few. It should also be noted that the patient behaviour can also play a large part in the success or failure in back surgery.
Back pain really is a big problem and many millions of dollars is spent on treating sufferers so it stands to sense that a solution must be found which has a far lower failure rate than is currently being experienced. It has been said that more tests should be carried out before the actual back surgery take place, thus making sure as little as possible can actually go wrong, but due to the massive numbers of people who are waiting for operations such as this, it is not always possible.
