An article published in Spinal Deformity discusses pediatric lumbar stenosis and evidence-based medical treatment.
The article authors conducted a comprehensive literature search for pediatric spondylolysis studies and evaluated 44 articles before making their conclusions. Overall, the authors concluded the current medical literature has "fair to good" evidence for pediatric spondylolysis.
Here are six trends to know from the article:
1. Lumbar spondylolysis can occur unilaterally or bilaterally. It is an acquired fracture of the pars interarticularis.
2. Chronic bilateral pars defects in 43 percent to 74 percent of patients progress to grade 1 or grade 2 spondylolisthesis.
3. The unilateral, incomplete and early lesions are able to obtain bony union. Short term symptom resolution is normal with and without bony union or spondylolisthesis.
4. More patients with a long term prognosis have lumbar symptoms than the general population.
5. There will be some patients who develop significant symptoms when they become adults.
6. It is unclear which patients will do well with conservative or no treatment long term compared to those who will develop significant symptoms where early intervention would be helpful.