Clinical and Radiological Investigations of Operation for Lumbar Canal Stenosis

Forty patients with lumbar canal stenosis who underwent laminectomy (with or without posterolateral fusion) at our hospital from April, 1973 to March, 1984 were reviewed. Thirty-two patients were clinically examined personally, and eight patients by questionnaire. Their follow-up period ranged from 5 to 124 months with an average of 43 months.The results were as follows:1) Over-all clinical results were excellent in 5 (12.5%), good in 18 (45.0%), fair in 10 (25.0%) and poor in 7 (17.5%).2) Preoperative intermittent claudicatios was relieved very well, while backache and sciatica were moderately, and numbness and weakness poorly.3) Poor results appeared to he correlated with their follow-up period and post oprative narrowing of transverse diameter in laminectomy area.4) postoperative instability or slipping did not appeared to be a direct factor of poor results.5) There was no difference between fusion and nonfusion groups in the final clinical results.