STUDY PROTOCOL article
Front. Surg.
Sec. Orthopedic Surgery
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2025.1547829
This article is part of the Research TopicNew Perspectives and Innovative Techniques in Contemporary Spine Surgery - Volume IIView all 3 articles
The Forgotten Spine Score: Study Protocol for a Novel Patient-Centered Outcome Measure in Lumbar Spine Fusion Surgery
Provisionally accepted
Luca Ambrosio1,2
Jordy Schol2
Yuto Otani2Giorgia Petrucci1
Elisabetta de Rinaldis1
Shota Tamagawa3
Fabrizio Russo1Rocco Papalia1
Gianluca Vadalà1*Daisuke Sakai2*
Vincenzo Denaro1- 1Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy
- 2Tokai University Isehara Hospital, Isehara, Kanagawa, Japan
- 3Juntendo University, Bunkyō, Tōkyō, Japan
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Lumbar spine fusion (LSF) surgeries have increased due to the rising prevalence of degenerative spine disorders and advancements in surgical techniques. However, the success of these procedures should be evaluated from the patient's perspective, emphasizing the need for effective patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Existing PROMs often focus on symptoms and lack specific validation for surgical patients. Inspired by the Forgotten Joint Score used in joint replacement surgery, here we introduce the Forgotten Spine Score (FSS), a new patient-centered PROM designed to assess the extent to which patients "forget" about the operated spinal segments in their daily lives. This study protocol outlines our approach to develop and validate the FSS as a reliable tool for evaluating outcomes in LSF patients, focusing on their perception of surgery's impact on daily life and well-being. This multiinstitutional cross-sectional study will involve a pilot phase to refine the newly designed 18-item FSS survey in Italian and Japanese, followed by a validation phase to assess the adjusted survey in the respective populations. Eligible participants will include adults who have undergone LSF for degenerative disorders at varying follow-up times. The FSS will be administered alongside the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Statistical analyses will assess internal consistency, reliability and validity, with significance set at p<0.05. The survey will be assessed based on its correlation with the ODI, potential for enhanced sensitivity, and overall appreciation among LSF patients. By improving our understanding of patient-centered outcomes, the FSS has the potential to inform clinical decisionmaking and patient care.
Keywords: Low Back Pain, Prom, Disability, Lumbar spine fusion, disc degeneration, Spine surgery
Received: 18 Dec 2024; Accepted: 09 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ambrosio, Schol, Otani, Petrucci, de Rinaldis, Tamagawa, Russo, Papalia, Vadalà, Sakai and Denaro. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Gianluca Vadalà, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy
Daisuke Sakai, Tokai University Isehara Hospital, Isehara, 259-1193, Kanagawa, Japan
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