Knodt rod distraction lumbar fusion.
Ninety-nine cases of Knodt rod fusions have been followed for an average of 18 months postoperatively. These patients were all severely incapacitated with pain for an average of 5.3 years prior to surgery. They all had a thorough preoperative work-up including myelogram, EMG and extensive conservative care. The procedure performed was an extensive bilateral laminectomy of the L5 vertebra with foramenotomy and a posterior lateral intertransverse fusion with the use of Knodt rods between the L4-5 and S1 levels. There was an overall average improvement after surgery in 70.35% of the cases. When the consideration of psychological problems and industrial cases were eliminated, the overall improvement was 80.38%. There were no major complications except that in five patients the Knodt rods were removed from between one week and one year postoperatively. Knodt rod fusions have results reported in the literature of frequent complications and very poor success rates. They can be a very good adjunct to the spine surgeon's armamentarium. In patients with long-range back pain who plan to return to heavy labor, the Knodt rods can give a surprisingly high rate of success.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000601:surgery; D007796:Laminectomy; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009984:Orthopedic Fixation Devices; D013123:Spinal Fusion