Can patients with sagittally well-compensated lumbar degenerative kyphosis benefit from surgical treatment for intractable back pain?
OBJECTIVE: To analyze pre- and postoperative x-rays of sagittal spines and to review the surgical results of 21 patients with lumbar degenerative kyphosis whose spines were sagittally well compensated by compensatory mechanisms but who continued to suffer from intractable back pain METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of 21 patients treated with combined anterior and posterior spinal arthrodesis. Inclusion criteria were: lumbar degenerative kyphosis patients with intractable back pain and whose spines were sagittally well compensated by a compensatory mechanism, defined as a C7 plumb line to the posterior aspect of the L5-S1 disc of less than 5 cm. Outcome variables included: radiographic measures of preoperative, postoperative, and follow-up films; clinical assessment using the mean Numeric Rating Scale, Oswestry Disability Index, and Patient Satisfaction Index; and a review of postoperative complications. RESULTS: All patients were female (mean age, 64.5 years; age range, 50-
Related Questions
- What is the optimal medical treatment for stable cardiac surgical patients who go into atrial fibrillation after their operation?
- Can Chronic Hepatitis C Patients with Genotypes 2 or 3 Benefit from Shorter Interferon Treatment?
- Do all patients with carcinoma of the esophagus benefit from treatment at teaching facilities?
