Is fusion necessary for the treatment of spondylolisthesis with stenosis? | Best Practice LIVE

CONTENT 0:00 Comment question from a viewer: is spinal fusion surgery needed for spondylolisthesis with stenosis? 0:45 This is an area in which orthopedic spine surgeons and neuorsurgeon's practice is changing. 1:04 Spinal stenosis means narrowing of the spinal canal or an adjacent structure (the foramen). 1:20 Why spinal stenosis happens in people with spondylolisthesis. 2:15 Spondylolisthesis is the shift in of the vertebral bones of the spine. 2:50 Laminectomy vs (laminectomy + fusion) are the surgical options for treatment. 3:15 Disadvantages of spinal fusion 3:40 Changes in the standard of care for spondylolisthesis with stenosis and spine surgery 4:05 Studies showed that fusion did not produce greater benefits than laminectomy alone. 4:45 laminectomy alone is a reasonable approach for grade 1 or 2 spondylolisthesis. 5:05 Why there are times when fusion is still the right answer. Addendum - just a few days after this was recorded, I came across a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials asking this very question: is fusion needed for stable spondylolisthesis in addition to laminectomy. The analysis found no benefit to fusion: https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/early/20...