RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Interpreting the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial
JF Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
JO Cleve Clin J Med
FD Cleveland Clinic
SP 577
OP 583
VO 74
IS 8
A1 Mazanec, Daniel
A1 Okereke, Linda
YR 2007
UL http://www.ccjm.org/content/74/8/577.abstract
AB The Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) consisted of two parallel studies: an observational study and a randomized comparison of medical and surgical treatment of disk herniation. In the long term, patients did well with either treatment, and an intention-to-treat analysis found no difference in outcomes. However, at 2 years 40% of patients in the surgical group of the randomized study still hadn’t had surgery, and 40% of the medical patients did have surgery, muddying the results. Surgery was superior according to an analysis by the treatment patients actually received, but the study has been criticized for methodologic shortcomings, and the topic remains controversial.