Spondyloptosis in the clinic is rarely reported. We herein present a 47-year-old female, who suffered from a crush injury directly by a heavy cylindrical object from the lateral side. She was diagnosed to have traumatic L₃ spondyloptosis with multiple traumas. Staged surgical procedures were conducted and a three-year follow-up was obtained. Eventually, normal spinal alignment was restored, and neurological deficits were gradually improved. At three years follow-up, the motor strength scores and function of the sphincters were incompletely improved. Previously published reports on traumatic lumbar spondyloptosis were reviewed and several critical points for management of this severe type of spinal injury were proposed. First, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral junction were mostly predilection sites. Second, numerous patients involving traumatic lumbar spondyloptosis were achieved to American Spinal Injury Association grade A. Third, lumbar spondyloptosis was commonly coupling with cauda equina injury. Finally, the outcomes were still with poorly prognosis and recovery of patients was correlation to spondyloptosis severity. Based on this case report and literatures review, we highlighted that the spinal alignment restoration relying on staged operations and following rehabilitation hereof are both important once facing with multiple traumas. Furthermore, we suggested to perform routine CT angiography during lumbar spondyloptosis to justify whether there are large vessel compression or injury.
Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Lumbar Vertebrae/injuries* ; Spondylolisthesis/surgery* ; Spinal Injuries ; Multiple Trauma/complications*

OBJECTIVESTo assess surgical treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis associated with unstable degenerative spondylolisthesis.

METHODSIn 86 patients with lumbar spinal stenosis associated with unstable degenerative spondylolisthesis. (30 men and 56 women, aged from 30 to 77 years), 63 patients complained of lower back pain with both lower extremity pain, 10 patients pain in one leg, and 13 patients only lower back pain. Seventy-two of these patients complained of intermittent claudication, with a walking distance ranging from 10 to 1 000 m. Thirty-two patients had some changes in sensation, motion and reflexes of the foot. According to White' critera, all patients showed dynamic instability of the lesion. Meyerding criteria showed degree 1 in 79 patients, and degree 2 in 7. CT scan was made in 56 patients, MRI in 24 and MRM in 6 before operation. Myelography was performed in 61 patients, and CTM in 6. Stenosis and spondylolisthesis located between L(4) and L(5) in 49 patients, between L(3) and L(4) in 6, between L(5) and S(1) in 25, between L(3) and L(4) and between L(4) and L(5) in 2, and from L(3) to S(1) in 4. The patients with pathological spondylolisthesis were excluded. Lateral recess stenosis of one leg was observed in 10 patients, lateral recess of both legs in 22, and central canal stenosis in 54, of whom 12 patients were associated with protrusion of the lumbar disc. Decompression and autograft with iliac bone and various internal fixation were performed in all patients.

RESULTSThe patients were followed up from 8 months to 13 years, longer than 1 year (average 5.6 years) in 81 patients. According to Amundsen et al, excellent results were obtained in 78 patients, good in 5, and fair in 3. Spondylolisthesis was completely reduced in 70 patients of degree 1 (89.9%), and in 6 patients of degree 2 (85.7%). No patient showed slippage aggravated. 74 patients gained bone graft fusion within 3 months and 10 patients within 6 months. Two patients showed pseudoarthrosis during the follow-up. Complications included internal fixation breakage in 1 patient, and delayed infection in 1.

CONCLUSIONSComplete decompression and bone graft fusion are the key to treatment. Decompression and internal fixation improve the symptoms of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis associated with spondylolisthesis. Transpedicle instrumentation can reduce spondylolisthesis and maintain the physical curve of the lumbar.

Adult ; Aged ; Decompression, Surgical ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Stenosis ; complications ; surgery ; Spondylolisthesis ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo study the causes of failure in the treatment of lumbar spondylolisthesis, and revision techniques and therapeutic effects.

METHODSEight cases with failed spondylolisthesis surgery were treated. There were 3 male and 5 female with an average age of 54 years old,ranging from 42 to 71 years. Among them, there were 6 cases of pedicle screws breakage, 1 case of fusion cage sinking and pedicle screws breakage, 1 case of osteoporosis and pedicle screws loosening. Their clinical symptoms included deformity, local pain, leg pain and numbness. The revision surgery was performed by the posterior decompression, instrumentation,intervertebral and posterolateral bone grafting, in which large diameter or long screws were applied for pedicle screws fixation.

RESULTSAll cases were followed-up from 6 to 24 months after revision(mean, 16 months). The clinical result was satisfied and the excellent or good results were 87.5%. There was no infection and other major complications. All patients had achieved solid fusion.

CONCLUSIONPoor technique and skill are considered as the primary causes leading to surgical failure of lumbar spondylolisthesis. The satisfactory outcome could be obtained by appropriately using the revision techniques.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; etiology ; Spinal Fusion ; Spondylolisthesis ; surgery ; Treatment Failure

There have been many reports regarding various operative methods for spondylolytic spondylolisthesis. However, there have been no reports regarding the comparison between posterolateral fusion (PLF) with pedicle screw fixation (PSF) and anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) with PSF. The purpose of the current study was to compare the clinical outcomes of PLF with PSF and ALIF with PSF, and to help in the selection of treatment options. Fifty-six patients with spondylolytic spondylolisthesis who underwent PLF with PSF (group 1, 35 patients) or who underwent ALIF with PSF (group 2, 21 patients) were studied. Minimum follow-up was 2 years. Demographic variables and disease state were similar for the two groups. We studied operating time, amount of blood loss, duration of hospital stay, clinical outcomes, complications, time at which fusion was complete, fusion rate, and radiological measurements. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the amount of blood loss, duration of hospital stay, back pain, radiating pain, fusion rate, or complication rate. However, in group 2, the operation time and the time at which fusion became complete was longer, and in group 1 there was significant radiological reduction loss. In conclusion, PLF with PSF was just as effective as ALIF with PSF in terms of clinical outcomes, but ALIF with PSF was superior to PLF with PSF in terms of the prevention of reduction loss. Anterior support would be helpful for preventing reduction loss in cases of spondylolytic spondylolisthesis of the lumbar spine.
Adolescence ; Adult ; Aged ; *Bone Screws ; Comparative Study ; Female ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Postoperative Complications ; Spinal Fusion/*methods ; Spondylolisthesis/radiography/*surgery

Humans ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Postoperative Complications ; etiology ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; etiology ; Spondylolisthesis ; complications ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the therapeutic effects of lumbar spondylolisthesis by decompression, instrumentation and posterolateral fusion, and study the causes of the related complications and its method for the prevention.

METHODSOne hundred and sixty-five cases with grade I to II spondylolisthesis from February 1991 to May 2007 were retrospectively analyzed. All cases were treated by posterior lumbar canal decompression, reduction with pedicle screw system and fusion with posterolateral bone grafting. Among them,there were 55 male and 110 female with an average age of 53.6 years. Besides, one segment was involved in 161 cases and two segments involved in the rest of them.

RESULTSThe complications were divided into either intraoperative postoperative complications. Intraoperative complications were 5 cases (3.0%) there were 4 cases with dura tear and 1 case with nerve root injury. Postoperative complications were 18 cases (10.9%), there were 3 cases with cerebrospinal fluid leakage, 1 case with wound infection, 2 cases with hematoma,5 cases with transient neurological deficits, 1 cases with implant failures and 6 cases with pseudarthrosis formation.

CONCLUSIONGood clinical results of lumbar spondylolisthesis can be obtained by posterior reduction and fixation with pedicle screw system. However,operation skills and strict indications play an important role in the prevention of complications.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Internal Fixators ; Intraoperative Complications ; prevention & control ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; prevention & control ; Retrospective Studies ; Spondylolisthesis ; surgery

BACKGROUND: There are few studies about risk factors for poor outcomes from multi-level lumbar posterolateral fusion limited to three or four level lumbar posterolateral fusions. The purpose of this study was to analyze the outcomes of multi-level lumbar posterolateral fusion and to search for possible risk factors for poor surgical outcomes. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 37 consecutive patients who underwent multi-level lumbar or lumbosacral posterolateral fusion with posterior instrumentation. The outcomes were deemed either 'good' or 'bad' based on clinical and radiological results. Many demographic and radiological factors were analyzed to examine potential risk factors for poor outcomes. Student t-test, Fisher exact test, and the chi-square test were used based on the nature of the variables. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to exclude confounding factors. RESULTS: Twenty cases showed a good outcome (group A, 54.1%) and 17 cases showed a bad outcome (group B, 45.9%). The overall fusion rate was 70.3%. The revision procedures (group A: 1/20, 5.0%; group B: 4/17, 23.5%), proximal fusion to L2 (group A: 5/20, 25.0%; group B: 10/17, 58.8%), and severity of stenosis (group A: 12/19, 63.3%; group B: 3/11, 27.3%) were adopted as possible related factors to the outcome in univariate analysis. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that only the proximal fusion level (superior instrumented vertebra, SIV) was a significant risk factor. The cases in which SIV was L2 showed inferior outcomes than those in which SIV was L3. The odds ratio was 6.562 (95% confidence interval, 1.259 to 34.203). CONCLUSIONS: The overall outcome of multi-level lumbar or lumbosacral posterolateral fusion was not as high as we had hoped it would be. Whether the SIV was L2 or L3 was the only significant risk factor identified for poor outcomes in multi-level lumbar or lumbosacral posterolateral fusion in the current study. Thus, the authors recommend that proximal fusion levels be carefully determined when multi-level lumbar fusions are considered.
Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Lumbar Vertebrae/surgery ; Lumbosacral Region ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Scoliosis/complications/surgery ; Spinal Fusion/methods ; Spinal Stenosis/complications/diagnosis/*surgery ; Spondylolisthesis/complications/surgery ; Treatment Outcome

Development of anesthesiology and improvement of surgical instruments enabled aggressive surgical treatment even in elderly patients, who require more active physical activities than they were in the past. However, there are controversies about the clinical outcome of spinal surgery in elderly patients with spinal stenosis or spondylolisthesis. The purpose of this study is to review the clinical outcome of spinal surgery in elderly patients with spinal stenosis or spondylolisthesis. MEDLINE search on English-language articles was performed. There were 39685 articles from 1967 to 2013 regarding spinal disease, among which 70 dealt with geriatric lumbar surgery. Eighteen out of 70 articles dealt with geriatric lumbar surgery under the diagnosis of spinal stenosis or spondylolisthesis. One was non-randomized prospective, and other seventeen reports were retrospective. One non-randomized prospective and twelve out of seventeen retrospective studies showed that old ages did not affect the clinical outcomes. One non-randomized prospective and ten of seventeen retrospective studies elucidated postoperative complications: some reports showed that postoperative complications increased in elderly patients, whereas the other reports showed that they did not increase. Nevertheless, most complications were minor. There were two retrospective studies regarding the mortality. Mortality which was unrelated to surgical procedure increased, but surgical procedure-related mortality did not increase. Surgery as a treatment option in the elderly patients with the spinal stenosis or spondylolisthesis may be reasonable. However, there is insufficient evidence to make strong recommendations regarding spinal surgery for geriatric patients with spinal stenosis and spondylolisthesis.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Decompression, Surgical/*methods ; Female ; Humans ; *Lumbar Vertebrae ; Male ; Patients ; Postoperative Complications/diagnosis ; Spinal Stenosis/*surgery ; Spondylolisthesis/*surgery ; Surgical Instruments ; Treatment Outcome

Spinal instrumentation is a common method for the treatment of spinal disorders, but it can lead to the changes of spine biomechanics. Because of the stress changes, accelerated degeneration of the adjacent segment may occur as time goes by, namely adjacent segment disease. The accelerated degeneration can lead to secondary spinal stenosis, articulated joint degeneration, acquired spondylolisthesis, and spine instability, and some patients may have to receive surgery again. In recent years, the researchers gradually recognized the importance of this disease, and began to investigate its pathogenesis and management.
Humans ; Joint Instability ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Postoperative Complications ; diagnosis ; prevention & control ; Spinal Diseases ; surgery ; Spinal Fusion ; adverse effects ; instrumentation ; Spinal Stenosis ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Spondylolisthesis ; etiology ; prevention & control

OBJECTIVETo analyze complications associated with posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) in which two Bagby and Kuslich (BAK) interbody fusion cages were implanted.

METHODSA total of 118 patients with spondylolytic spondylolisthesis underwent single-level PLIF using two BAK cages filled with morselized autogenous bone. The major clinical and radiographic complications were analyzed after a follow-up with an average time of 2 years and 9 months.

RESULTSComplications were divided into intraoperative and postoperative complications. Intraoperative complications mainly included dural tear (4 patients, 3.4%), nerve root injury (3 patients, 2.5%) and suboptimal cage position (9 patients, 7.5%). No death was caused by the operation. Postoperative complications chiefly consisted of cage retropulsion (3 patients, 2.5%), cage subsidence (4 patients, 3.4%), and postlaminectomy arachnoiditis (2 patients, 1.7%). Pseudarthrosis was noted radiographically with evidence of motion between adjacent vertebra on lateral flexion-extension films and luciencies around the cages (2 patient, 1.7%), continuous posterior cage migration (2 patients, 1.7%) or continuous cage subsidence (2 patients, 1.7%). Two patients died, one from a traffic accident and the other from metastatic cancer 1 year postoperatively.

CONCLUSIONSThe results of this study indicate that PLIF with BAK cages is an effective but also technically difficult procedure. The relatively high incidence of complications reminds us of the importance of surgical indications and proper manipulations.

Adult ; Dura Mater ; injuries ; Female ; Humans ; Intraoperative Complications ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Fusion ; adverse effects ; methods ; Spinal Nerve Roots ; injuries ; Spondylolisthesis ; surgery