Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026
Evaluation of Patients' Posture and Gait Profile After Lumbar Fusion Surgery by Video Rasterstereography and Treadmill Gait Analysis
Published on: March 23, 2019
Life quality after instrumented lumbar fusion in the elderly
Philipp Becker1, Wolfgang Bretschneider, Alexander Tuschel
1Orthopaedic Hospital Speising, Spine Center, Vienna, Austria. philipp.becker@oss.at
Study Design:
Retrospective cohort study.
Objective:
To review the clinical outcome on elderly patients after spinal instrumented fusion.
Summary Of Background Data:
Although lumbar fusion in elderly patients has increased rapidly, there are only few and conflicting results regarding the clinical outcome.
Methods:
This retrospective review evaluated 195 patients aged 70 to 89 who underwent lumbar spinal fusion. All 195 patients had follow-ups after 6 weeks, 1 year, and 2 years, including clinical evaluation as well as visual analog scale score, Oswestry Disability Index, and Short Form health survey.
Results:
Elderly patients benefit from spinal fusion. Back and leg pains were initially reduced by >50%, with a slight deterioration over a 2-year period. Pain medication was reduced in 69% of the patients, and 89.7% of the patients were satisfied.
Conclusion:
Age itself cannot be considered a contraindication.
