Retrospective Follow-up Study of Patients with Degenerative Lumbar Disease Surgically Treated with Spinal Instrumentation.

From 1987 to 1995, consecutive fifty-two patients with degenerative lumbar disease were surgicalty treated with spinal instrumentation. Forty-two patients (81%) were followed up on; minimum follow-up was 5 years. Their fusion area was extended over two segments. They were classified into four groups according to pathology: spinal deformity, spondylolisthesis, lumbar disc hernia, and after wide laminectomy. Clinical results were assessed by Prolos criteria. Several radiographic measurements were also performed.The mean score before operation in spinal deformity patients was 1.1 (20 cases); it was changed to 2.8. For spondylolisthesis patients (7 cases), the mean score was 1; it was changed to 3.1. In lumbar disc hernia and after wide laminectomy patients (4 and 11 cases) mean score was 1.3 and 1.4 pre-operatively, and was changed to 4.3 and 3.8, respectively. The mean pelvic angle in the last follow-up was 38.5 degrees in spinal deformity, 30.8 degrees in spondylolisthesis, and 24.3 degrees in after wide laminectomy. Alignment of the lumbosacral to the pelvic hip region was an important factor in the clinical results.