Lumbar fusion compared with conservative treatment in patients with chronic low back pain: a meta-analysis.
The number of patients undergoing lumbar fusion (LF) surgery has grown during the last two decades. The authors of this meta-analyses tried to answer the question whether adults with CLBP and degenerative spinal disorders (L4/5 and/or L5/S1 levels) without radicular symptoms have a better outcome (measured with the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)) after lumbar fusion (LF) compared to a conservative treatment.
A total of four studies including 666 patients were included. Both LF and conservative treatment resulted in a reduction of the ODI score. However the difference between the two groups was statistically and clinically insignificant. This meta-analyses supports the strong evidence that LF is not more effective than conservative treatment in CLBP patients with degenerative spinal diseases. > From: Saltychev et al., Int J Rehabil Res (2013) (Epub ahead of print). All rights reserved to Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
The Pubmed summary of the article can be found here.
In the video below you can find a YouTube clip of a lumbar fusion surgery. Please note the conclusion of the article above! The YouTube clip below is purely for having a better idea about the operation procedure.