Twelve patients with the drop-foot associated with lumbar disc lesion and lumbar canal stenosis who underwent spinal surgery were evaluated 3 months to 6 years and a holf postoperatively. There were 5 males and 7 females, ranging in age from 30 to 74 years (mean, 55.5 years). The interval between the onset of symptoms and operative procedure ranged from 14 days to 6 years with an average of 36.6 weeks. Ten patients received laminectomy, one hemilaminecomy (Love's method) and one anterior spinal fusion. The results classified as good in 4 cases, fair in 2 and no change in 6. Two of 6 cases who had no improvement underwent second operative procedure (transfer of posterior tibial tendon) for drop-foot. It seems reasonable to conclude from the results that the most important factor in predicting improvement with treatment is a short interval between onset of symptom and treatment.
