Comparison Of Short Term Outcome In The Treatment Of Degenerative Lumbar Stenosis With Coflex Implant And Laminectomy And Posterior Interbody Fusion Along With Pedicle Screw System

Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis is a common degenerative lumbar disorder. Now we commonly treat it with laminectomy and posterior interbody fusion along with pedicle screw system. The procedure, however there are some defects, such as damage to spine physiological structure, resulting in loss of motor function of two fusion segment, accelerated adjacent segment degeneration [1]. recently, non-fusion technology increasingly concerned by domestic and foreign scholars. According to symptom changes of patients with nerve-derived intermittent claudication, i.e. aggravated with lumbar extension and relieved with flexion, Coflex system, a kind of dynamic spinous process implants, was designed by Samani in 1994[2] . Conflex system can relieve pain and improve the clinical symptoms while preserving the intervertebral activities ,it can also change the load transfer method of motion segment to delay the degeneration of adjacent segments. Coflex system has been Universal applied in foreign countries , But is still rarely reported domestic.Coflex implant and laminectomy and posterior interbody fusion along with pedicle screw system were used in treatment of degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis from November 2008 to September 2009. Surgical efficacy of the two groups were compared.Objective Our study is aim to compare the short term outcome in treatment of degenerative lumbar stenosis between Coflex implant and laminectomy and posterior interbody fusion along with pedicle screw system.Method 30 patients with degenerative lumbar stenosis were randomly divided into two groups. 15 patients in the control group were treated by laminectomy and posterior interbody fusion along with pedicle screw system. The other 15 patients in the experimental group patients were treated by Coflex implant. The parameter for assessment include operation time, intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay days, per- and postoperative JOA score, improvement rate and complication rate.Result Compared to the control, significant reduction was found on operation time, intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay days while no significant difference was found on improvement rate and postoperative JOA score. In addition,there are no complication in the Coflex group during follow up.Conclusion Coflex implant is an effective, save and minimally invasive surgical method for the treatment of degenerative lumbar stenosis.