Association of Postoperative Slip Reduction With Patient-Reported Outcomes at Two Years After Fusion Surgery for Low-Grade Degenerative Spondylolisthesis: A Single-Center Study

This single-center retrospective study followed 160 patients who underwent lumbar fusion with an attempted intraoperative reduction for low-grade degenerative spondylolisthesis, and asked whether the amount of slip correction achieved (not just whether reduction was attempted) predicted patient-reported outcomes at 2 years. Each additional percentage-point of postoperative slip reduction was associated with a 4.51-point greater relative improvement in ODI and a 3.76-point greater relative improvement in low back pain (both p<0.001), while changes in lumbar lordosis, PI-LL, and other spinopelvic parameters correlated with slip reduction but were not independently linked to clinical outcomes.

AI summary · from the full text · reviewed by Pukhraj Gaheer, Medical Student, Queen's University before publishing

Why it mattersThis addresses an unresolved question in spine surgery, namely whether the degree of slip correction achieved during fusion for low-grade spondylolisthesis matters clinically, which could inform intraoperative reduction targets.

Presenting this at rounds? Start here

• ?If greater slip reduction is associated with better patient-reported outcomes, should surgeons more aggressively pursue reduction intraoperatively even at the cost of longer operative time or added risk?
• ?Given that sagittal alignment changes did not independently predict outcomes, should surgical planning for low-grade DLS fusion prioritize slip correction over alignment restoration?