OBJECTIVE: To assess health-related quality of life in patients with metastatic vertebral lesion after surgery by the posterior approach. METHODS: 32 patients were evaluated (17 female and 15 male) with a mean age of 56.46 years and diagnosis of metastatic vertebral lesion. Indications for surgery were the presence of progressive neurological deficit (6 patients - 18.75%); incapacitating pain (23 patients -71.87%) or both of these situations together (3 patients - 9.37%). Questionnaire SF-36 was applied, to evaluate the patients' quality of life one month and six months after surgery. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were observed in domains of functional capacity, pain, mental health, and social aspects of questionnaire SF-36. CONCLUSION: Patients operated by the posterior approach for decompression for metastatic vertebral lesion presented an improvement in quality of life. Level of Evidence: Level II, longitudinal prospective study.
Spine; Neoplasm metastasis; Decompression; Quality of life