Long-Term Follow-Up of Inpatients with Cervical Myelopathy Who Received Integrative Korean Medicine Treatment: A Retrospective Analysis and Questionnaire Survey Study.

Purpose: Cervical myelopathy (CM) is generally considered an indication for surgery in Western medicine. Case reports have indicated that Korean medicine (KM) treatments are effective in improving CM-associated symptoms. We investigated the effectiveness of non-surgical KM treatment of CM patients through a retrospective chart review and follow-up survey. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records and surveyed follow-up data of CM patients with neurological symptoms admitted to KM hospitals between January 2011 and January 2018. The admission and discharge assessments included the numeric rating scale (NRS) for neck and arm pain, neck disability index (NDI), and 5-level EuroQol 5-dimension (EQ-5D-5L). A follow-up survey was conducted about whether surgery was subsequently performed or recommended, symptom recurrence, discomfort in daily living, current treatment, as well as NRS, NDI, EQ-5D-5L, and patient global impression of change (PGIC) scores. Results: The NRS for neck pain decreased from 4.88 ± 2.03 (95% CI: 4.23‒5.52) at admission to 3.23 ± 1.64 (95% CI: 2.70‒3.75) at discharge and 2.24 ± 1.84 (95% CI: 1.43‒3.05) at follow-up. The NRS for radiating arm pain decreased from 5.42 ± 1.55 (95% CI: 4.93‒5.92) to 3.77 ± 1.54 (95% CI: 3.28‒4.27) at discharge and 2.43 ± 1.60 (95% CI: 1.72‒3.13) at follow-up. The NDI decreased significantly from 36.24 ± 18.79 (95% CI: 30.24‒42.24) at admission to 30.89 ± 15.54 (95% CI: 25.93‒35.86) at discharge and 13.35 ± 11.95 (95% CI: 8.08‒18.63) at follow-up. The EQ-5D score improved significantly from 0.70 ± 0.21 (95% CI: 0.63‒0.77) to 0.78 ± 0.17 (95% CI: 0.73‒0.84) at discharge and 0.84 ± 0.08 (95% CI: 0.80‒0.88) at follow-up. At the follow-up, four patients experienced persistent pain and were undergoing treatment (19.1%), while 20 patients (95.8%) reported symptom improvement. Conclusion: From a long-term perspective, integrative KM treatment may help to reduce pain and improve function, and improve quality of life of CM patients.

Long-Term Follow-Up of Inpatients with Failed Back Surgery Syndrome Who Received Integrative Korean Medicine Treatment: A Retrospective Analysis and Questionnaire Survey Study.

INTRODUCTION: this study aimed to investigate the long-term clinical efficacy and satisfaction degree of integrative Korean medicine (KM) treatment for patients with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). METHODS: we performed a follow-up questionnaire survey and retrospective analysis of medical records for patients with FBSS who underwent inpatient treatment for ≥ 1 week. The primary evaluation indices were numeric rating scale (NRS) scores for low back pain (LBP) and leg pain at admission and discharge. Sub-evaluation indices included the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and EuroQol 5-dimension (EQ-5D) score. The follow-up questionnaire survey obtained information regarding previous surgeries; reasons for satisfaction/dissatisfaction with surgical and KM treatment; and current status. RESULTS: compared with at admission, there was a significant post-treatment decrease in the NRS scores for LBP and leg pain, as well as the ODI score. Further, there was a significant post-treatment increase in the EQ-5D score. Regarding the patients' global impression of change for KM treatment administered during admission and at the follow-up questionnaire survey, 101 (95.3%) patients selected "minimally improved" or better. CONCLUSION: integrative KM treatment could effectively reduce pain, as well as improve function and health-related quality of life, in patients with FBSS.