Posterolateral fusion with instrumentation in the symptomatic failed back patients

Thirty-two symptomatic failed back patients after lumbar spine surgery performed for disc lesions underwent posterolateral fusion involving an adaptation of two distraction rod or combined distraction and compression rod instrumentation following decompression procedure when necessary. The main causative pathology of persistent pain was segmental instability with or without nerve root entrapment. The average follow-up period was 35 months. Twenty-eight patients responded that they were satisfied with the final operation. Fusion rate was 100% at the present study. The salvage instrumentation surgery to the failed back was thought to have brought about removal of instability, restoration of the disc height to some extent and decompression in some cases.