2004 Volume 10 Issue 1 Pages 60-68
The surgical management of degenerative spondylolisthesis has remained controversial. Patients with L4/5 single-level spinal stenosis due to gradeⅠspondylilisthesis were treated by two methods, one was posterior decompression with bilateral posterolateral fusion using pedicle screw instrumentation from 1997 until 1999, and the other was posterior decompression alone with preserving the posterior elements like fenestration from the year 2000 onwards. We compared clinical outcomes (JOA score) and radiographic findings between the two groups (19 patients in the fusion group, 17 in the decompression group) after a two year follow-up period. Preoperative background factors were not statistically significant between the two groups. JOA scores improved in both groups but less improvement was obtained in the fusion group because of more complications. Our findings indicate that decompression while preserving the posterior elements can be useful for most of type of degenerative spondylolisthesis with symptomatic spinal stenosis. To confirm our findings, a randomized controlled trial with a larger number of subjects is needed.
