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Sublaminar fixation in lumbosacral fusions.
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455.
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research
|August 1, 1991
Summary
Sublaminar fixation using stainless steel rectangles was studied for lumbar fusion. While it achieved an 84% fusion rate and pain relief in most patients, it offered no significant advantage over noninstrumented methods and is no longer used.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Spinal Surgery
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Lumbar and lumbosacral arthrodesis aims to achieve spinal fusion.
- Instability and conditions like spondylolisthesis necessitate spinal fusion procedures.
- Improving fusion rates and patient outcomes in spinal surgery is a continuous goal.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of sublaminar fixation with stainless steel rectangles for lumbar and lumbosacral arthrodesis.
- To assess the fusion rates and pain relief in patients undergoing this specific surgical construct.
- To determine if this method offers advantages over existing noninstrumented techniques.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 63 patients underwent spinal fusion using sublaminar fixation to stainless steel rectangles.
- Patients included those with spondylolisthesis (37) and other causes of lumbar mechanical instability (26).
- Outcomes measured included fusion achievement and patient-reported pain relief.
Main Results:
- A fusion rate of 84% (53 out of 63 patients) was achieved.
- Significant pain relief was reported by 52 patients.
- No instances of infection or neurologic complications were observed in the study group.
Conclusions:
- Sublaminar fixation with stainless steel rectangles demonstrated an 84% fusion rate in lumbar and lumbosacral arthrodesis.
- The technique provided pain relief for the majority of patients without significant complications.
- However, the fusion rate did not significantly differ from noninstrumented methods, leading to its discontinuation for lumbar fusions.