Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2026

Surgical Approach and Complications of Stand-alone Lateral Trans-Psoas Interbody Fusion

Surgical Approach and Complications of Stand-alone Lateral Trans-Psoas Interbody Fusion

Published on: February 14, 2025

Revision surgery for lumbar pseudarthrosis.

Ozgur Dede¹, Daniel Thuillier¹, Murat Pekmezci¹

¹Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of California San Francisco Spine Center, 500 Parnassus MU 320 W, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.

The Spine Journal : Official Journal of the North American Spine Society

|July 24, 2013

Summary

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Patient-specific Cervical Deformity Corrections With Consideration of Associated Risk: Establishment of Risk Benefit Thresholds for Invasiveness Based on Deformity and Frailty Severity.

Clinical spine surgery·2023

Same author

Economic burden of nonoperative treatment of adult spinal deformity.

Journal of neurosurgery. Spine·2023

Same author

The ISSG-AO Complication Intervention Score, but Not Major/Minor Designation, is Correlated With Length of Stay Following Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery.

Global spine journal·2023

Same author

Functional Alignment Within the Fusion in Adult Spinal Deformity (ASD) Improves Outcomes and Minimizes Mechanical Failures.

Spine·2023

Same author

Are We Focused on the Wrong Early Postoperative Quality Metrics? Optimal Realignment Outweighs Perioperative Risk in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery.

Journal of clinical medicine·2023

Same author

Are we improving in the optimization of surgery for high-risk adult cervical spine deformity patients over time?

Journal of neurosurgery. Spine·2023

Revision surgery for lumbar pseudarthrosis yields better outcomes for spondylolisthesis patients than for degenerative disc disease (DDD) patients, despite successful fusion in both groups. Discuss risks and benefits carefully, especially for DDD cases.

Area of Science:

Spine surgery
Orthopedic surgery
Neurosurgery

Background:

Revision surgery for lumbar pseudarthrosis after spinal fusion often has unpredictable functional results.
Pseudarthrosis, or nonunion, is a complication following lumbar spinal fusion.
Understanding outcomes based on initial diagnosis is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare clinical outcomes of revision surgery for lumbar pseudarthrosis.
To differentiate outcomes between patients initially diagnosed with degenerative disc disease (DDD) and spondylolisthesis.

Main Methods:

Retrospective review of 66 patients undergoing revision surgery for lumbar pseudarthrosis (1995-2004).
Patients were categorized into DDD (28) and spondylolisthesis (38) groups.

Keywords:

Degenerative disc disease Revision surgery Spinal fusion Spondylolisthesis

More Related Videos

Lateral-PLIF for Lumbar Spinal Arthrodesis: A Detailed Step-By-Step Surgical Technique

Lateral-PLIF for Lumbar Spinal Arthrodesis: A Detailed Step-By-Step Surgical Technique

Published on: January 23, 2026

Uniportal Full Endoscopic Posterolateral Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Uniportal Full Endoscopic Posterolateral Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Published on: June 6, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 9, 2026

Surgical Approach and Complications of Stand-alone Lateral Trans-Psoas Interbody Fusion

Surgical Approach and Complications of Stand-alone Lateral Trans-Psoas Interbody Fusion

Published on: February 14, 2025

Lateral-PLIF for Lumbar Spinal Arthrodesis: A Detailed Step-By-Step Surgical Technique

Lateral-PLIF for Lumbar Spinal Arthrodesis: A Detailed Step-By-Step Surgical Technique

Published on: January 23, 2026

Uniportal Full Endoscopic Posterolateral Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Uniportal Full Endoscopic Posterolateral Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Published on: June 6, 2025

Clinical outcomes assessed using Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and self-assessment questionnaires; radiographic review for fusion success.

Main Results:

100% fusion rate achieved in both DDD and spondylolisthesis groups.
Mean postoperative ODI scores were significantly higher in the DDD group (53.3) compared to the spondylolisthesis group (37.2) (p<.01).
Only 50% of DDD patients reported improved well-being, versus 64% of spondylolisthesis patients.

Conclusions:

Revision surgery for pseudarthrosis leads to poorer clinical outcomes in degenerative disc disease patients compared to spondylolisthesis patients, even with successful fusion.
The findings highlight the importance of discussing surgical risks and benefits thoroughly, particularly for DDD patients undergoing revision surgery.
Successful pseudarthrosis repair does not guarantee satisfactory functional recovery in all patient groups.