An independent audit of Lumbar Spinal surgery performed by a single surgeon over a 4 year period is presented. The three groups evaluated included Lumbar fusion, decompression and discectomy.

Patients were assessed using the Oswestry Disability Questionairre and five other questions related to overall outcome and patient satisfaction. The minimum follow-up was 6 months. Patient response rate was 74%.

The overall outcome was 81% Excellent/Good vs 19% Fair/Poor. The best outcomes were in the discectomy group. The decompression group showed a variable and unpredictable outcome. Complications encountered in the three subgroups are discussed.

Lumbar spinal surgery offers lasting and predictable outcomes to a large majority of well selected patients. Independent surgical audits form an important part of evaluating one’s surgical practice.