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Interspinous spacers may help treat moderate lumbar spinal stenosis
Two models of interspinous spacers were shown to effectively treat patients with moderate lumbar spinal stenosis after the patients did not respond to conservative treatment in this multicenter randomized controlled trial.
Vikas V. Patel, MD, and colleagues randomized 250 patients with moderate lumbar spinal stenosis for treatment with an experimental interspinous spacer (Vertiflex Inc., San Clemente, Calif.) or a control interspinous spacer (Medtronic Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif.). After treatment, they followed up 123 patients in the experimental group and 122 patients in the control group at various time points through 2 years minimum.
Patel and colleagues wrote in the study that patient satisfaction scores at 2 years minimum follow-up were 1.8 points ± 0.9 points in the experimental group and 1.6 points ± 0.8 points in the control group. Axial pain and extremity pain scores decreased in both groups, and Zurich Claudication Questionnaire results and physical function scores improved nearly equally, by 34% to 36%, in both groups.
Based on the Oswestry Disability Index scores, Patel and colleagues found patients in both groups showed an improvement in back function.
Patel and colleagues concluded both types of interspinous spacers had similar effects and supported improved health outcomes for these two groups of patients over a 2-year post-operative period.
Disclosures: Authors Larry E. Miller, MD, and Jon E. Block, MD, are consultants to VertiFlex Inc.
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Patel VV. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2014;doi:10.1186/1471-2474-15-221.