Lumbar Laminectomy Alone or With Instrumented or Noninstrumented Arthrodesis in Degenerative Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Abstract

Findings were limited by the small number of participating surgeons, modest sample size that produced P values of borderline significance, and nonrandomized design. With these caveats in mind, the authors conclude: (1) The individual surgeon was a more important correlate of the decision to perform arthrodesis than clinical variables such as spondylolisthesis. (2) Noninstrumented arthrodesis resulted in superior relief of back pain after 6 and 24 months. (3) Instrumented arthrodesis was the most costly option. These results highlight the need for randomized controlled trials and cost effectiveness analyses of lumbar arthrodesis and instrumentation in patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis.