Lumbar spinal stenosis: the clinical spectrum and the results of operation.

Thirty-one patients who had been treated surgically for lumbar spinal stenosis between 1968 and 1978 at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital have been personally reviewed. In 28 patients (90 per cent) degenerative change in the lumbar spine had been the principal aetiological factor; the other three had idiopathic developmental lumbar spinal stenosis. In 17 patients (55 per cent) the result was classified as good, although a total of 26 patients (84 per cent) were satisfied. In patients with degenerative changes, one important reason for failure was inadequate decompression; re-operation in this group seemed worthwhile. The good results of operation for lumbar spinal stenosis were characterised by rapid resolution of pain in the leg.