Methods. One hundred two patients (mean age, 62 years) with symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis

underwent decompressive surgery. They completed the same set of questionnaires before surgery, 3 months, and 1 year after surgery. Depression was assessed with the 21-item Beck Depression see more Inventory. Physical functioning and pain were assessed with the Oswestry Disability Index, the Stucki Questionnaire, self-reported walking ability, the visual analogue scale and pain drawing. Logistic regression was used to examine the preoperative factors associated with a poorer surgery outcome on 1-year follow-up. In further analysis, a depressive burden variable (sum of preoperative and 3-month Beck Depression selleck chemicals Inventory scores) was included as a predictor.

Results. Eighteen percent of

spinal stenosis patients were depressed on 1-year follow-up. Higher preoperative Beck Depression Inventory scores and depressive burden scores burden were independently associated with a poorer self-reported functional ability, symptom severity and a poorer walking capacity on 1-year follow-up. As a dichotomous predictor, a high depressive burden was independently associated with all the postoperative outcome variables at the 1-year stage: greater disability, pain and symptom severity, and a poorer walking capacity.

Conclusion. The prevalence of depression was notable among 1-year postoperative spinal stenosis patients. Depressive symptoms in the preoperative and early recovery phase were strong predictors of a poorer self-reported surgery outcome on 1-year follow-up. The results call for intervention strategies to detect and treat depression during both the preoperative and postoperative phase.”
“Methods: We studied 51 patients hospitalized for a hip fracture and 51 matched controls from our outpatients department. All patients were subjected to a carotid sinus massage in the supine and upright position. Patients were categorized U0126 ic50 in accidental

(Group A) and unexplained (Group B) fallers.

Results: Six of 33 (18.2%) patients in Group A and 12 of 18 (66.7%) patients in Group B (P < 0.001) had a positive response to the carotid sinus massage. Nine controls (17.6%) also demonstrated CSH. Patients in Group B were older (A: 75.5 +/- 8.5 years vs B: 80.1 +/- 5.9 years, P = 0.029) and were more likely to have a history of unexplained falls or syncope in the past (A: 0% vs B: 66.7%, P < 0.0001) than individuals in group A. Vasodepressor/mixed forms accounted for the majority of CSH responses in Group B (75%). When compared with the control group, CSH was still more common in Group B (B: 66.7% vs control: 17.6%, P < 0.0001) but not in Group A (A: 18.2% vs control: 17.6%, P = 1.000).

Conclusions: The prevalence of CSH is increased in elderly patients with hip fractures, only in those who present with an unexplained fall and report a history of syncope or unexplained falls in the past.