Unilateral Approach Bilateral Microdecompression for Degenerative Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Objective: Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis is a frequent cause of back and leg pain in elderly patients.Degenerative spinal stenosis may be due to intervertebral disk bulging, joint facet hypertrophy, thickening of the ligamentum flavum, and spondylolisthesis.The aim of this study is to investigate the results of unilateral approach bilateral microdecompression for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis patients. Materials and Methods:We observed 78 patients who have back and/or leg pain with neurogenic claudication.The patients were scored by visual analog scale (VAS), oswestry disability index (ODI) score, and walking distance (WD).The surgical technique used in all stenotic levels was unilateral approach bilateral microdecompression.All patients were questioned and examined before surgery, post-operative 2 nd year.Results: Thirty-nine males and 39 females total of 78 patients with the mean age of 64.3±7.2 were investigated.There was no statistically significance according to gender and age.Pre-operative mean VAS, ODI and WD values were 8.9±1.1, 65±17.20,42±21.30and post-operative 2 nd year values were 1.2±0.23,17±1.91,1800±617.13.All three parameters were found statistically significant when compared between pre-operative and post-operative values (p<0.05). Conclusion:The results of the unilateral approach bilateral microdecompression for treating lumbar spinal stenosis are satisfying because you can achieve sufficient decompression with minimal invasive technique without dissecting and damaging the opposite side tissues.