In Spinal Stenosis with Degenerative Spondylolisthesis, Decompression Surgery Alone Was Noninferior to Decompression Surgery with Instrumented Fusion for Reducing Impairment at 2 Years

Patients: 267 patients aged 18 to 80 years (mean age, 66 years; 69% women) who had neurogenic claudication or radicular radiating pain in the lower limbs that had not responded to ‡3 months of nonoperative care, spinal stenosis verified by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and degenerative spondylolisthesis of ‡3mm at the stenotic level verified by standing plain lateral-view radiographs, and who chose to have surgery. Exclusion criteria included foraminal stenosis of grade 3 on MRI, previous surgery at the level of spondylolisthesis, or previous fracture or fusion surgery in the thoracolumbar region. 90% of patients completed follow-up at 2 years.