The development of discopathy in lumbar discs adjacent to a lumbar anterior interbody spondylodesis. A retrospective matched-pair study with a postoperative follow-up of 16 years.

Of 46 patients who underwent a lumbar or lumbo-sacral anterior interbody fusion at one or two levels, 16 were available for a follow-up of 16-20 years. The indications for operation were instability, degenerative disc disease, pseudarthrosis of a posterior fusion, and spondylolisthesis. Preoperative roentgenograms were compared with those made at follow-up 16 years (or more) later. In only a minority of patients was discopathy or instability found. The roentgenographic findings of the operated patients at a follow-up of at least 16 years were compared with those of a group of age- and sex-matched controls not previously treated for backache. We found that most degenerative changes of the adjacent discs occurred at a rate nearly similar to that in the corresponding levels of the controls. These results may suggest that lumbar anterior interbody spondylodesis does not accelerate the development of degenerative changes in adjacent discs.