Study Design. A cohort of 100 patients with symptomatic lumbar spinal steno
sis, characterized in a previous article, were given surgical or conservati
ve treatment and followed for 10 years.
Objectives. To identify the short- and long-term results after surgical and
conservative treatment, and to determine whether clinical or radiologic pr
edictors for the treatment result can be defined.
Summary of Background Data. Surgical decompression has been considered the
rational treatment. However, clinical experience indicates that many patien
ts do well with conservative treatment.
Methods. In this study, 19 patients with severe symptoms were selected for
surgical treatment and 50 patients with moderate symptoms for conservative
treatment, whereas 31 patients were randomized between the conservative (n
= 18) and surgical (n = 13) treatment groups. Pain was decisive for the cho
ice of treatment group. All patients were observed for 10 years by clinical
evaluation and questionnaires. The results, evaluated by patient and physi
cian, were rated as excellent, fair, unchanged, or worse.
Results. After a period of 3 months,relief of pain had occurred in most pat
ients. Some had relief earlier, whereas for others it took 1 year. After a
period of 4 years, excellent or fair results were found in half of the pati
ents selected for conservative treatment, and in four fifths of the patient
s selected for surgery. Patients with an unsatisfactory result from conserv
ative treatment were offered delayed surgery after 3 to 27 months (median,
3.5 months). The treatment result of delayed surgery was essentially simila
r to that of the initial group. The treatment result for the patients rando
mized for surgical treatment was considerably better than for the patients
randomized for conservative treatment. Clinically significant deterioration
of symptoms during the final 6 years of the follow-up period was not obser
ved. Patients with multilevel afflictions, surgically treated or not, did n
ot have a poorer outcome than those with single-level afflictions. Clinical
or radiologic predictors for the final outcome were not found. There were
no dropouts, except for 14 deaths.
Conclusions. The outcome was most favorable for surgical treatment. However
, an initial conservative approach seems advisable for many patients becaus
e those with an unsatisfactory result can be treated surgically later with
a good outcome.