Clinical outcome after lumbar spinal fusion surgery in degenerative spondylolisthesis: a 3-year follow-up.

INTRODUCTION: Lumbar spinal fusion surgery is a widely accepted surgical treatment in degenerative causes of lumbar spondylolisthesis. The benefit of reduction of anterior displacement and restoration of sagittal parameters is still controversially debated. Purpose of the underlying publication was to analyze the influence of radiographic sagittal parameters of the spine in aspects of changes in postoperative clinical outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: By prospective analysis, we included patients with low-grade degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (Meyerding grades I and II) with mono- or bisegmental fusion surgery with a minimum follow-up data of 3 years. For clinical outcome measures, COMI, ODI and EQ-5D were used. Spinopelvic parameters (sacral inclination, pelvic tilt, sacral slope and pelvic incidence, lumbar lordosis and lumbar index as well as anterior displacement and sagittal rotation) were measured on plain radiographs. RESULTS: We could observe a significant benefit in clinical outcome after lumbar fusion surgery in low-grade spondylolisthesis in our mid-term follow-up data including 32 patients. By surgical reduction, we could see significant restoration of anterior displacement and sagittal rotation. Interestingly, a significant correlation between restoration of both sagittal rotation and sacral inclination and clinical outcome score was observed in the 3-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: In low-grade spondylolisthesis, spinal fusion surgery is a well-established surgical procedure; however, the impact of sagittal parameters and reduction of anterior displacement remains controversial. Within our findings, restoration of sagittal parameters showed significant correlation to improvement in clinical outcome in our mid-term follow-up data.

Lumbar spondylolisthesis: retrospective comparison and three-year follow-up of two conservative treatment programs.

Forty-eight patients with symptomatic back pain secondary to spondylolisthesis who were treated conservatively were followed for three years after initial examination to compare the outcomes of two exercise programs. The patients were divided into two groups--those doing flexion and those doing extension back strengthening exercises. All patients received instructions on posture, lifting techniques, and the use of heat for relief of symptoms. After three months, only 27% of patients who were instructed in flexion exercises had moderate or severe pain and only 32% were unable to work or had limited their work. Of the patients who were instructed in extension exercises, 67% had moderate or severe pain and 61% were unable to work or had limited their work. At three-year follow-up, only 19% of the flexion group had moderate or severe pain and 24% were unable to work or had limited their work. The respective figures for the extension group were 67% and 61%. The overall recovery rate after three months was 58% for the flexion group and 6% for the extension group. At three years these figures improved to 62% for the flexion group and dropped to 0% for the extension group. The literature is scarce regarding the applicability of conservative treatment programs for lumbar spondylolisthesis. On the basis of our findings, we suggest that if a conservative treatment program is elected, back flexion or isometric back strengthening exercises should be considered. The three-year follow-up data presented here lend support to this point of view.

The pronator teres syndrome: compressive neuropathy of the median nerve.

Thirty-nine patients with a clinical diagnosis of the pronator teres syndrome were seen during a seven-year period. They typically complained of aching discomfort in the forearm, weakness in the hand, and numbness in the thumb and index finger. Cyclic stress usually brought on the symptoms. The distinctive physical finding was tenderness over the proximal part of the pronator teres, which was aggravated by resisted pronation of the forearm, flexion of the elbow, and occasionally by resisted contraction of the flexor superficialis of the long finger. Electrophysiological testing of the median nerve showed abnormalities in a few patients, but localization of the abnormality was possible only rarely. Intraoperative recordings showed some improvement shortly after release of the median nerve in six of the ten forearms that were tested. Surgical exploration of thirty-six forearms in thirty-two patients showed intramuscular tendinous bands in the pronator, indentation of the muscle belly of the flexor superficialis in most forearms. Vascular and muscular abnormalities were seen occasionally. Of the thirty-six operations, twenty-eight gave good or excellent results; five, fair; and in three patients the symptoms were unchanged. The cause of failure was either inadequate decompression or misdiagnosis.

Lumbar spondylolisthesis: a rational approach to conservative treatment.

Forth-seven patients with symptomatic back pain secondary to spondylolisthesis who were not surgical candidates were instructed in a treatment program that included flexion or extension or combined flexion-extension exercises. At follow-up, symptomatic changes were correlated with the type of exercise program. Patients treated with flexion-type exercises were less likely to require use of back supports, require job modification, or limit their activities because of pain. Although surgical treatment of spondylolisthesis has been outlined in current literature, conservative programs have not been well defined. Factors aggravating pain and a specific program for pain reduction are discussed.