An observational study in Postoperative Recovery and Lumbar Disc Herniation, sponsored by Fatih Sultan Mehmet Training and Research Hospital. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-17.
Sponsored by Fatih Sultan Mehmet Training and Research Hospital · Observational
Recovery after surgery for a herniated disc in the lower back differs from person to person. The size of the muscles around the lower spine may be related to recovery, but this relationship is not well understood.
The purpose of this observational study is to determine whether the size of two lower-back muscles, the psoas and multifidus muscles, measured on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans obtained before surgery is related to recovery after surgery. The study will include 100 adults aged 18 to 75 years who are scheduled for elective surgery for lumbar disc herniation.
Participants will receive their usual anesthesia, surgery, and postoperative care. The study will not require any additional imaging, blood tests, medicines, or procedures. Researchers will use each participant's existing preoperative lumbar MRI scan to measure the psoas and multifidus muscles. Participants will complete the 15-item Quality of Recovery questionnaire (QoR-15) before surgery and again 24 hours, 48 hours, and 7 days after surgery. Researchers will also collect information routinely recorded during care, including pain scores, pain medicine use, nausea and vomiting, time spent in the recovery unit, time to first walking, and length of hospital stay.
The primary objective is to determine whether preoperative psoas muscle index and multifidus muscle cross-sectional area are independently associated with postoperative Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) scores 24 hours after lumbar disc herniation surgery.
This is a single-center, prospective observational cohort study involving 100 adults undergoing elective surgery for lumbar disc herniation. No treatment, exposure, or anesthetic technique will be assigned by the study protocol. All participants will receive standard general anesthesia, surgery, and postoperative care according to routine clinical practice and the decisions of the responsible clinical teams. No additional imaging, laboratory testing, medication, or invasive procedure will be performed for research purposes.
Existing preoperative lumbar magnetic resonance imaging scans obtained as part of routine clinical care will be evaluated. Muscle measurements will be performed on axial T2-weighted images at the level of the inferior endplate of the L3 vertebra. The right and left psoas muscles will be manually outlined, and their cross-sectional areas will be summed to calculate the total psoas area. The total psoas area will be divided by height squared to calculate the psoas muscle index in cm²/m².
The right and left multifidus muscles will be evaluated on the same MRI section. Their cross-sectional areas will be measured and summed to calculate the total multifidus muscle area. A height-adjusted multifidus muscle index will also be calculated. MRI measurements will be performed by an investigator who is unaware of the participants' clinical outcomes and QoR-15 scores.
Quality of recovery will be assessed using the validated Turkish version of the 15-item Quality of Recovery questionnaire. The QoR-15 evaluates physical comfort, emotional state, physical independence, psychological support, and pain. Total scores range from 0 to 150, with higher scores indicating better recovery. The questionnaire will be administered before surgery and at 24 hours, 48 hours, and 7 days after surgery.
Postoperative pain at rest will be assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale at 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours after surgery. Other routinely collected data will include opioid and other analgesic consumption during the first 24 hours, requirement for rescue analgesia, postoperative nausea and vomiting, antiemetic requirement, length of stay in the post-anesthesia care unit, time to first mobilization, and total length of hospital stay.
The primary analysis will evaluate the associations of the preoperative psoas muscle index and multifidus muscle measurements with the QoR-15 score 24 hours after surgery. Secondary analyses will evaluate their associations with QoR-15 scores at 48 hours and 7 days, postoperative pain scores, analgesic consumption, postoperative nausea and vomiting, recovery unit stay, time to first mobilization, and hospital length of stay.
Correlations will be assessed using Pearson or Spearman correlation analysis, as appropriate. Multivariable linear regression analysis will be used to identify whether the preoperative muscle measurements are independently associated with the 24-hour QoR-15 score after adjustment for relevant demographic and clinical variables.
474 studies on the registry are indexed under Intervertebral Disc Displacement; 100 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 100 is close to the median of 100 across 117 observational studies indexed under Intervertebral Disc Displacement.
Browse Intervertebral Disc Displacement studies →Fatih Sultan Mehmet Training and Research Hospital is the lead sponsor of 120 studies on the registry; 34 are open to participants now.
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The study population will consist of a consecutive sample of adult patients aged 18 to 75 years with ASA physical status I-III who are scheduled for elective surgery for lumbar disc herniation under general anesthesia at Fatih Sultan Mehmet Training and Research Hospital. Eligible participants must have an existing preoperative lumbar MRI suitable for psoas and multifidus muscle measurements and must be able to complete the Turkish version of the QoR-15 questionnaire.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
The anaesthetists’ scale of health before surgery: I is healthy, II has a mild illness that is under control, III a severe one, IV a severe illness that is a constant threat to life. V and VI are used for the critically ill and for organ donors.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
ASA physical status
The anaesthetists’ scale of health before surgery: I is healthy, II has a mild illness that is under control, III a severe one, IV a severe illness that is a constant threat to life. V and VI are used for the critically ill and for organ donors.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Adults aged 18 to 75 years with ASA physical status I-III who are scheduled for elective surgery for lumbar disc herniation under general anesthesia. Participants will receive routine perioperative care, and no intervention will be assigned by the study protocol. The exposures of interest are the preoperative psoas muscle index and multifidus muscle area and index measured using existing lumbar Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans. QoR-15 scores will be recorded before surgery and at 24 hours, 48 hours, and 7 days after surgery. Postoperative pain, analgesic consumption, nausea and vomiting, recovery unit stay, time to first mobilization, and hospital stay will also be recorded.
Other: Preoperative Psoas and Multifidus Muscle Measurements
Preoperative psoas muscle index and multifidus muscle cross-sectional area and index will be measured by manual segmentation of existing axial T2-weighted lumbar MRI images at the L3 inferior endplate level. No additional MRI examination or clinical intervention will be performed. These measurements represent observational exposures whose associations with postoperative QoR-15 scores and other recovery outcomes will be evaluated
Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) Total Score
The association between preoperative psoas muscle index and multifidus muscle measurements and the total Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) score 24 hours after surgery will be evaluated using correlation and multivariable linear regression analyses.
Time frame: Muscle measurements: preoperative; QoR-15 assessment: 24 hours after surgery
QoR-15 Scores at 48 Hours and 7 Days After Surgery
Quality of recovery will be assessed using the total Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) score. The questionnaire contains 15 items and has a total score ranging from 0 to 150, with higher scores indicating better postoperative recovery.
Time frame: 48 hours and 7 days after surgery
Postoperative Numeric Rating Scale Pain Scores at Rest
Pain intensity at rest will be assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale. Scores range from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst imaginable pain.
Time frame: 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours after surgery
Total Opioid Consumption During the First 24 Hours
The cumulative dose of opioid analgesics administered during the first 24 hours after surgery will be obtained from medication records. If more than one opioid is administered, doses will be converted to intravenous morphine milligram equivalents for analysis. Higher values indicate greater opioid consumption.
Time frame: Within the first 24 hours after surgery
Requirement for Rescue Analgesia
The number and percentage of participants who require any additional rescue analgesic medication because of inadequate pain control will be recorded.
Time frame: Within the first 24 hours after surgery
Incidence of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting
The number and percentage of participants experiencing at least one episode of nausea, vomiting, or both will be recorded using patient reports and routine clinical records.
Time frame: Within the first 24 hours after surgery
Length of Stay in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit
Time from admission to discharge from the post-anesthesia care unit will be recorded in minutes.
Time frame: From post-anesthesia care unit admission to discharge, typically within 2 hours after surgery
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Aug 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Intervertebral Disc Displacement →
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