In a large propensity-matched analysis of patients undergoing elective single-level lumbar fusion, preoperative major depressive disorder (MDD) turned out to be a powerful predictor — not of hardware failure, pseudarthrosis, or mortality — but of something arguably more disruptive to recovery: postoperative psychiatric diagnoses, somatic symptom complaints, and higher healthcare utilization.
Using a national EHR network, the authors identified patients who had a diagnosis of recurrent major depressive disorder within one year before surgery and matched them 1:1 with patients without MDD across demographics, comorbidities, labs, and medications.
Subscribe to continue reading
- Unlimited access to our content and archive
- Exclusive access to our newsletter
- Join the Conversation! Exclusive access to article comments.
