title: Surgical results of degenerative spondylolisthesis patients over 70 years old: a single-center experience and clinical outcomes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to evaluate results of surgery in Degenerative     Spondylolisthesis (DS) patients over 70 years old.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is     a non-randomized retrospective analysis of the clinical outcome of 34 patients     older than 70 years who underwent surgery. At the end of two-year follow-up     period, preoperative and postoperative courses were assessed by Oswestry     Disability Index (ODI) and Visual Analog Scales (VAS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age was     75 years (range 70-86 years). The mean duration of symptoms was 13.5 years     (range 2-30 years). All patients underwent physiotherapy and also 15 (11 female,     4 male) patients used brace. L4-L5 was the most commonly affected level (n=26),     Preoperative ODI and VAS scores were mean 71,63 (range 34-100) and 6,77 (range     2-9) (p < 0,05). Postoperative ODI and VAS scores were mean 22,73 (range     0-100) and 2,13 (range 0-10) (p < 0,05). Patients were asked if they had     known the outcome, would they accept surgical treatment or not. 86.6% (n=26) of     the patients answered the question positively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A conventional     decompressive laminectomy with foraminotomy and posterolateral fusion in situ     with transpedicular instrumentation is necessary and reduces pain and recovers     functional disability in elderly patients over 70 years old with DS.
authors.affiliation: GATA Haydarpasa Education Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cem
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Atabey
authors.forename: Selcuk
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gocmen
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Simsek
authors.forename: Emre
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zorlu
authors.forename: Mehmet Nusret
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Demircan
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colak
authors.forename: Cem
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dinc
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007796:Laminectomy; D008297:Male; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000379:methods; D013168:Spondylolisthesis / Q000473:pathology / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome