Spinal surgery outcome 'inherited'RSS Feed

The outcome of spinal surgery could be down to genetic variation, according to reports.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that the pain sensitivity gene is linked to whether surgical treatment for spinal injury is successful or not, according to HealthDay News.

The pain gene, known as catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), is associated with the success of treatment for lumbar degenerative disc disease, says the study, published in The Spine Journal.

Scientists studied 69 patients undergoing this surgery, performing genotype analysis for five common COMT single nucleotide polymorphisms.

They measured success by using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and visual analog scale scores to categorise lower back pain.

It was found that a year after surgery, the COMT analysis was significantly linked with an improvement in ODI score.

This comes after news that primates, including humans, possess the innate ability to repair their own spinal injury.

News brought to you by Serious Law specialists in spinal injury

Posted by Paul Breen
 

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