| Characteristic | Total cohort, no. (%) of patients* n = 166 | Wait time†; no. (%) of patients* | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shorter (≤ 12 mo) n = 94 | Longer (> 12 mo) n = 72 | |||
| Age, yr, mean ± SD | 66.2 ± 9.0 | 66.1 ± 8.7 | 66.3 ± 9.3 | 0.8 |
| BMI, mean ± SD | 29.0 ± 5.0 | 28.7 ± 4.5 | 29.4 ± 5.6 | 0.4 |
| Women | 79 (47.6) | 43 (45.7) | 36 (50.0) | 0.6 |
| Smoking status | ||||
| Never or no longer | 145 (87.3) | 83 (88.3) | 62 (86.1) | 0.7 |
| Current | 21 (12.7) | 11 (11.7) | 10 (13.9) | |
| Employment status | ||||
| Unemployed (related to back pain) | 14 (8.4) | 10 (10.6) | 4 (5.6) | 0.5 |
| Unemployed (unrelated to back pain) | 2 (1.2) | 1 (1.1) | 1 (1.4) | |
| Employed | 39 (23.5) | 18 (19.1) | 21 (29.2) | |
| Retired | 106 (63.9) | 62 (66.0) | 44 (61.1) | |
| Homemaker | 5 (3.0) | 3 (3.2) | 2 (2.8) | |
| Comorbid condition‡ | ||||
| None | 33 (19.9) | 21 (22.3) | 12 (16.7) | 0.4 |
| Hypertension | 87 (52.4) | 44 (46.8) | 43 (59.7) | 0.1 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 25 (15.1) | 14 (14.9) | 11 (15.3) | 0.9 |
| Osteoporosis | 2 (1.2) | 1 (1.1) | 1 (1.4) | 0.8 |
| Heart disorder | 27 (16.3) | 15 (16.0) | 12 (16.7) | 0.9 |
| Stomach disorder | 21 (12.6) | 13 (13.8) | 8 (11.1) | 0.6 |
| Bowel or intestinal disorder | 2 (1.2) | 1 (1.1) | 1 (1.4) | 0.8 |
| Depression | 7 (4.2) | 5 (5.3) | 2 (2.8) | 0.4 |
| Joint disorder | 25 (15.1) | 13 (13.8) | 12 (16.7) | 0.6 |
| Thyroid disorder | 15 (9.0) | 9 (9.6) | 6 (8.3) | 0.8 |
| Other | 31 (18.7) | 15 (16.0) | 16 (22.2) | 0.3 |
| Unknown | 9 (5.4) | 5 (5.3) | 4 (5.6) | 0.9 |
| Neurological diagnosis | ||||
| Claudication | 84 (50.6) | 48 (51.2) | 36 (50.0) | 0.6 |
| Radiculopathy | 10 (6.0) | 7 (7.4) | 3 (4.2) | |
| Both | 72 (43.4) | 39 (41.5) | 33 (45.8) | |
| Primary complaint | ||||
| Neurological | 42 (25.3) | 28 (29.8) | 14 (19.4) | 0.1 |
| Neurological and mechanical back pain | 124 (74.7) | 66 (70.2) | 58 (80.5) | |
| Duration of symptoms from time of onset to initial consultation with surgeon, mo, median (range) | 24 (6-210) | 24 (6-150) | 30 (6-210) | 0.2 |
| Location of stenosis | ||||
| Central and lateral recess | 94 (56.6) | 55 (58.5) | 39 (54.2) | 0.2 |
| Central, foraminal and lateral recess | 38 (22.9) | 16 (17.0) | 22 (30.6) | |
| Lateral recess and foraminal | 11 (6.6) | 7 (7.4) | 4 (5.6) | |
| Lateral recess | 23 (13.9) | 16 (17.0) | 7 (9.7) | |
| Level of stenosis‡ | ||||
| L2-3 | 15 (9.0) | 5 (5.3) | 10 (13.9) | 0.06 |
| L3-4 | 59 (35.5) | 30 (31.9) | 29 (40.3) | 0.3 |
| L4-5 | 146 (88.0) | 81 (86.2) | 65 (90.3) | 0.4 |
| L5-S1 | 17 (10.2) | 6 (6.4) | 11 (15.3) | 0.06 |
| No. of levels affected | ||||
| 1 | 113 (68.1) | 66 (70.2) | 47 (65.3) | 0.5 |
| ≥ 2 | 53 (31.9) | 28 (29.8) | 25 (34.7) | |
| Spondylolisthesis | 96 (57.8) | 55 (58.5) | 41 (56.9) | 0.8 |
Note: BMI = body mass index.
*Unless stated otherwise.
†Defined according to the median wait time from referral to surgery.
‡Some patients had more than 1 comorbid condition or level of stenosis.