The Performance of Fusion Procedures for Degenerative Disease of the Lumbar Spine

The Performance of Fusion Procedures for Degenerative Disease of the Lumbar Spine: The Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) established that surgery may have a role in patients with stenosis associated with degenerative spondylolisthesis. However, while the SPORT established a role for surgery in the setting of refractory symptoms of nerve compression, primarily in patients with spinal stenosis, it did not lead to clarity regarding the ideal candidate for decompression alone, decompression with fusion, and the role of instrumentation in fusion procedures. In 2014, reviews conducted for guidelines from the Congress of Neurologic Surgeons and the National Association of Spine Surgeons confirmed that these gaps were still unresolved.