Two interesting investigations into lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) appeared in the general medical literature recently.
—A registry-based observational study of nearly 900 patients in the BMJ found that microdecompression techniques were as effective as open laminectomy in improving disability scores 12 months after surgery. The two techniques yielded similar quality-of-life scores at the one-year point, but the microdecompression patients had shorter hospital stays.
—In Annals of Internal Medicine, a multisite randomized study of 170 patients 50 or older with lumbar spinal stenosis found that those receiving surgical decompression and those receiving physical therapy (2 PT visits per week for six weeks focused on lumbar flexion and general conditioning) had essentially the same functional outcomes at time points ranging from 10 weeks to two years after enrollment. However, 57% of patients assigned to PT crossed over to surgery—some due to high copays for physical therapy, said study co-author Anthony Delitto, PT. In an editorial accompanying the study, JBJS Deputy Editor for Methodology and Biostatistics Jeffrey Katz, MD, concluded, “Because long-term outcomes are similar for both treatments yet short-term risks differ, patient preferences should weigh heavily in the decision of whether to have surgery for LSS.”