PEEK Cages versus PMMA Spacers in Anterior Cervical Discectomy: Comparison of Fusion, Subsidence, Sagittal Alignment, and Clinical Outcome with a Minimum 1-Year Follow-Up

Table 3

Clinical outcome.

	PEEK; cage	PMMA; Sulcem	PMMA; Palacos	Overall	𝑃; (cage versus Sulcem)	𝑃; (cage versus Palacos)	𝑃; (Sulcem versus Palacos)
VAS^#	3.1±2.0	3.6±2.5	2.7±2.7	3.1±2.4	0.342	0.565	0.193
NDI^#	26.5±15.8	34.7±18.9	24.9±17.3	28.7±17.7	0.051	0.699	0.034^∗
SF-36
Physical function^#	67.5±24.3	49.7±28.8	63.2±23.8	60.3±26.6	0.007^∗	0.459	0.044^∗
Bodily pain^#	46.4±20.1	42.4±24.0	49.9±30.3	46.2±24.7	0.444	0.588	0.277
General health^#	53.9±21.4	46.0±20.5	51.5±22.6	50.6±21.5	0.116	0.662	0.309
Vitality^#	47.2±19.6	42.7±20.8	44.3±20.7	44.8±20.2	0.360	0.557	0.769
Mental health^#	57.4±21.5	61.8±22.4	65.5±19.8	61.3±21.4	0.403	0.110	0.475
Physical component summary^#	39.1±9.9	33.4±11.8	39.4±10.9	37.3±11.1	0.036^∗	0.917	0.044^∗
Mental component summary^#	43.3±12.8	44.8±14.5	46.2±11.1	44.6±12.8	0.661	0.335	0.670

The table shows means with standard deviations from self-reported questionnaires.
VAS: Visual Analog Scale.
NDI: Neck Disability Index.
SF-36: Short Form 36 Health Survey.
^#Student's 𝑡-test (two-tailed).
^∗𝑃<0.05.