THE ITALIAN VERSION OF THE SWISS SPINAL STENOSIS QUESTIONNAIRE. TRANS-CULTURAL ADAPTATION AND STUDY OF THE METRIC PROPERTIES

P. Pillastrini1, C. Vanti2, C. Lopez3, M. Schiappoli2, M. Baccini2
1University of Bologna (Italy), Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Bologna, Italy, 2University of Bologna, Department of Biological and Neuromotor Sciences, Bologna, Italy, 3University of Padua, Padova, Italy

Background: Lumbar Spinal Stenosis (LSS) significantly affects activities of daily living. The Swiss Spinal Stenosis Questionnaire (SSSQ) is one of the most used instruments to assess its severity. It includes three sections: symptoms severity (SSS), physical functioning (PFS), and patient’s satisfaction (PSS).

Purpose: To translate and validate the Italian version of the SSSQ (SSSQ-IT).

Methods: The SSSQ-IT was developed according to forward and backward translation and pilot testing on 10 subjects. Its metric properties were measured in 179 subjects, complained of both LSS and non-specific low back pain (LBP). The Roland & Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and the Short-Form 12 (SF-12) were administered in addition to the SSSQ-IT. Seven days later, participants who judged their symptoms as “unchanged” on a Global Rating of Change Scale completed again the SSSQ-IT.

Results: Good internal consistency and good to excellent reliability were found for all the sections of the SSSQ-IT (SSS: α=0.803, ICC=0.832, SEM=0.344, MDC95=0.955; PFS: α=0.866, ICC=0.867, SEM=0.267, MDC95=0.741; PSS: α=0.935, ICC=0.882, SEM=0.276, MDC95=0.765). The SSSQ-IT validity was supported by strong correlations between the SSSQ-IT (all sections) and RMDQ, BPI and SF12-PCS (p<0.001). SSS and PFS scores were significantly different among LSS and LBP participants (p<0.001).

Conclusion(s): The SSSQ-IT metric properties confirmed this questionnaire as a valid and reliable tool to assess LSS in Italian population.

Implications: The SSSQ-IT may be a useful instrument to measure symptoms severity, physical functioning, and patient’s satisfaction about treatments in LSS.

Funding, acknowledgements: No conflict of interest to declare

Keywords: lumbar stenosis, outcome measures, validity and reliability

Topic: Musculoskeletal: spine

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes
Institution: Medical Ethical Committee of the Azienda USL Toscana Centro, Italy (26.09.2018)
Committee: Medical Ethical Committee of the Azienda USL Toscana Centro, Italy (26.09.2018)
Ethics number: 43369


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