Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Spinal stenosis re-operation rate in Sweden is 11% at 10 years—A national analysis of 9,664 operations

  • Original Article
  • Published:
European Spine Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Re-operation rates in spinal stenosis surgery vary between 5 and 23%. Most previous studies have been based on selected patients groups. We analysed the 10-year lumbar spinal stenosis re-operation rate from comprehensive Swedish national data during 1987–1999. The mean length of stay decreased from 2 weeks in 1987 to 1 week in 1999. Of 9,664 patients, 628 (6.5%) were re-operated. Within 30 days after the first spinal stenosis operation, 0.15% of the parients were re-operated. The 1-, 2-, 5-, and 10-year re-operation rates were 2, 5, 8 and 11%, respectively. The rate lowered by 31% over time. Adding a fusion may lower the re-operation risk, an observation which can only be evaluated in randomised trial.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Amundsen T, Weber H, Lilleas F (1995) Lumbar spinal stenosis. Clinical and radiologic features. Spine 20:1178–1186

    Google Scholar 

  2. Atlas S, Deyo R, Keller R et al (1996) The Maine Lumbar Spine Study, Part III. One-year outcomes of surgical and non-surgical management of lumbar spinal stenosis. Spine 21:1787–1794

    Google Scholar 

  3. Benini A (1992) Clinical aspects, pathophysiology and surgical treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis. Schweiz Rundsch Med Prax 81:395–404

    Google Scholar 

  4. Benini A, Magerl F (1993) Selective decompression and translaminar articular facet screw fixation for lumbar canal stenosis and disc protrusion. Br J Neurosurg 7:413–418

    Google Scholar 

  5. Caputy AJ, Luessenhop AJ (1992) Long-term evaluation of decompressive surgery for degenerative lumbar stenosis. J Neurosurg 77:669–676

    Google Scholar 

  6. Cornefjord M, Byröd G, Brisby H, Rydevik BJ (2000) A long-term (4- to 12-year) follow-up study of surgical treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis. Eur Spine 563–570

  7. Dedering (2002) An analysis of electromyography, endurance time and subjective factors in patients with lumbar disc herniation and healthy subjects. Thesis/Dissertation, Department of Surgical Sciences, Section of Orthopedics Karolinska Institutet, Stockhom, Sweden

  8. Deyo R, Cherkin D, Loeser J, Bigos S, Ciol M (1992) Morbidity and mortality in association with operations on the lumbar spine. The influence of age, diagnosis, and procedure. J Bone Joint Surg Am 74:536–543

    Google Scholar 

  9. Fischgrund JS, Mackay M, Herkowitz HN, Brower R, Montgomer DM, Kurz LT (1997) 1997 Volvo Award winner in clinical studies. Degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis with spinal stenosis: a prospecitive, randomized study comparing decompressive laminectomy and arthrodesis with and without spinal intrumentation.Spine 22:2807–2812

    Google Scholar 

  10. Fox MW, Onofrio, BM, Hanssen AD (1996) Clinical outcomes and radiological instability following decompressive lumbar laminectomy for degenerative spinal stenosis: a comparison of patients undergoing concomitant arthrodesis versus decompression alone. J Neurosurg 85:793–802

    Google Scholar 

  11. Grob D, Humke T, Dvorak J (1995) Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis. Decompression with and without arthrodesis. J Bone Joint Surg Am 77:1036–1041

    Google Scholar 

  12. Hansraj K, Cammisa FP Jr, O’Leary PF et al (2001) Decompressive surgery for typical lumbar spinal stenosis. Clin Orthop 384:10–17

    Google Scholar 

  13. Herno A, Airaksinen O, Saari T (1993) Long-term results of surgical tratment of lumbar spinal stenosis. Spine 18:1471–1474

    Google Scholar 

  14. Jansson K-Å, Blomqvist P, Granath F, Németh G (2003) Spinal stenosis surgery in Sweden 1987–1999. Eur Spine J 535–541

  15. Johnsson K, Uden A, Rosen I (1991) The effect of decompression on the natural course of spinal stenosis. A comparison of surgically treated and untreated patients. Spine 16:615–619

    Google Scholar 

  16. Johnsson K, Uden A, Rosen I (1992) The natural course of lumbar spinal stneosis. Clin Orhop 279:1982–1986

    Google Scholar 

  17. Jönsson B, Strömqvist B (1996) Clinical characteristics of recurrent sciatica after lumbar discectomy. Spine 21:500–505

    Google Scholar 

  18. Katz J, Lipson SJ, Chang LC, Levine SA, Fossel AH, Iang MH (1996) Seven- to 10-year outcome of decompressive surgery for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis. Spine 21:92–97

    Google Scholar 

  19. Kent D, Haynor D, Larson E et al (1992) Diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis in adults. A meta analysis of the accuracy of CT, MR and myelography. AJR Am J Roentgenol 158:1135–1144

    Google Scholar 

  20. Martinelli T, Wiesel S (1992) Epidemiology of spinal stenosis. Instr Course Lect 179–181

  21. Olmarker K, Rydevik B, Norborg C (1994) Autologuos nucleus pulposus inducedes neurophysiological and histological changes in porcine cauda equina nerve roots. Spine 18:1425–1432

    Google Scholar 

  22. Rydevik B (1994) Aktuellt om patofysiologi och smärtmekanismer. Nord Med 109:74–76

    Google Scholar 

  23. Sanderson PL, Getty CJ (1996) Long term results of patial undercuting facetectomy for lumbar lateral recess stenosis. Spine 21:1352–1356

    Google Scholar 

  24. SAS Institute (1997) SAS/STAT software changes and enhancements through release, 6.12 edn. SAS Institute, Cary, pp 247–348

    Google Scholar 

  25. Schönström NS Bolender NF, Pengler DM (1985) The pathomorphology of spinal stenosis as seen on CT scans of the lumbar spine. Spine 10:806–811

    Google Scholar 

  26. Strömqvist B, Jönsson B, Fritzell P, Hägg O, Larsson B, Lind B (2001) The Swedish National Register for Lumbar Spine Surgery, Swedish Society for Spinal Surgery. Acta Ortop Scand 72:99–106

    Google Scholar 

  27. Verbiest H (1954) A radicular syndrome from developmental narrowing of the lumbar vertebral canal. J Bone Joint Surg Br 36:230–237

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

K.-Å. Jansson was partly funded by the Karolinska Institute and the Karolinska University Hospital. Ethical approval is accepted from the Ethics Committee North at Karolinska Hospital.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedics, Karolinska University Hospital Solna, 171 76, Stockholm, Sweden

    Karl-Åke Jansson & Gunnar Németh

  2. Unit of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine at Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

    F Granath & P Blomqvist

Authors
  1. Karl-Åke Jansson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gunnar Németh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. F Granath
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. P Blomqvist
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Karl-Åke Jansson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Jansson, KÅ., Németh, G., Granath, F. et al. Spinal stenosis re-operation rate in Sweden is 11% at 10 years—A national analysis of 9,664 operations. Eur Spine J 14, 659–663 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-004-0851-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-004-0851-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation