Spinal stenosis with scoliosis

A retrospective review was carried out on 40 patients who met the criteria of 1) having a significant lumbar scoliosis associated with spinal stenosis, with symptoms of neurogenic claudication; and 2) having been treated with posterior decompression and pedicular screw fixation techniques. The average age of the patients was 61.5 years (range, 38-77 years), and 25 of the 40 patients were female. Eighty-eight percent of the patients had significant back pain in addition to lower extremity pain. All patients had pedicular screw fixation at all levels. Zielke instrumentation was used in 24 patients, Cotrel-Dubousset instrumentation in 8 patients, and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital instrumentation in the remaining 8 patients. After surgery, there was marked improvement in regard to pain status: 34 patients (83%) had severe pain before surgery, with 38 patients (93%) reporting mild or no pain at follow-up. Average length of follow-up was 44 months (range, 24-61 months). There were no deaths and no instrument-related failures or pseudarthroses noted in this series. A mean correction of the deformity of 19 degrees was obtained. Average scoliosis was 37 degrees before surgery and 18 degrees at follow-up.