Measuring Outcome in Patients Undergoing Chiari Surgery

2019 CSF Research Colloquium

JW MARRIOTT - SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 19, 2019

It is well-known that not all Chiari patients do well after surgery. Unfortunately, there are many reasons for this-- none that we fully understand just yet. There are current research projects ongoing to help determine which patients will do better after Chiari surgery, but until then, we need to do a better job of seeing which patients have good surgical outcomes. Dr. John Oró describes the current available outcomes tools for Chiari surgery. Starting from the beginning, Dr. Oró explains how each of these tools were developed and what are their strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly? He explains why outcomes measures matter. These are not for doctors or medical professionals to tell themselves that they have done a great job. Outcomes measures are meant for patients' quality-of-life. Dr. Oró puts it quite eloquently: "Why do we focus on quality-of-life? Because that is the moral imperative." Outcomes research is meant to help patients improve their lives in a meaningful way. This presentation was made as part of the 2019 Research Colloquium. This meeting was meant to disseminate new research in Chiari, syringomyelia and related disorders and was hosted by the Bobby Jones CSF on October 19th in San Francisco, California. (2019)

Revised: 12/2019