Spondylolysis refers to the defect of vertebral pars interarticularis. We undertook treatment measures for a group of young patients to maintain their spinal segment movement and to restore their normal anatomy. In our clinic, percutaneous direct pars repair with minimally invasive technique was applied for pars defect repair. Here we have presented the clinical, functional, and radiological outcomes of pars defects that were repaired percutaneously via the minimally invasive technique.
This is a single-center, non-randomized, prospective study of the demographic, clinical, functional, and radiographic outcomes of 18 patients (age range: 18-32 years). We employed the visual analog scale for the severity of back pain and the Oswestry Disability Index to evaluate the functional outcomes. In addition, the MacNab criteria were applied for the evaluation of postoperative patient satisfaction level.
All patients were admitted with bilateral pars fracture at the level of L4 (n = 4) or L5 (n = 14). The average duration of the last clinical follow-up was 16.04 months (range: 12-28 months). With reference to the MacNab criteria, 17 patients (94%) showed “perfect” or “good” outcomes. Fusion or bridging of bones was observed via computed tomography in 14 patients (77%) in the last radiological examination.
Minimally invasive surgical treatment of symptomatic spondylolysis is a safe option that minimizes muscle and soft tissue dissection. We achieved good clinical and functional outcomes with low complications and high fusion rates through completely percutaneous treatment in young patients.

Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Author