Stanford University Medical Center, October 14, 2009
Patients reporting new low-back pain are more likely to undergo surgery if treated in an area with a higher-than-average concentration of magnetic resonance imaging machines, according to research from the Stanford University School of Medicine.
This may be bad news for patients, since previous studies have found that increased surgery rates don’t improve patient outcomes. “The worry is that many people will not benefit from the surgery, so heading in this direction is concerning,” said senior author Laurence Baker, PhD, professor of health research and policy. Read More >