Posterior interbody fusion using laminectomy bone and transpedicular screwfixation in the treatment of lumbar spondylolisthesis

BACKGROUND Laminectomy bone is used widely in posterolateral lumbar fusion, but not in terbody fusion. No prospective evaluation of interbody fusion using bone gr afts from the posterior neural arch in spondylolisthesis has been found in the literature. We prospectively studied series of patients operated on for lumbar spondylolisthesis to evaluate clinical improvement and bony fusion. METHODS Forty-six patients were operated on for lumbar spondylolisthesis using a si mplified one-stage posterior procedure. The whole mobile dorsal segment of the vertebral arch was taken out in one piece and the bone was used for int erbody fusion. Fixation was performed with transpedicular screws and rods u sing transverse connectors. RESULTS After an average follow-up time of 27.3 months, 87% of the patients could b e considered to have an excellent or good clinical outcome. The rate of suc cessful fusion was 95.7%, No noteworthy complications occurred. CONCLUSION Laminectomy bone seems to be optimal for posterior interbody fusion and tog ether with transpedicular rigid fixation the long-term clinical and radiolo gical results are convincingly good. The method is advisable even for sever e spondylolisthesis. (C) 2000 by Elsevier Science Inc.