Lumbar spinal stenosis: surgical intervention for the older person.

Twenty-one patients, aged 50 to 75 yr, received orthopedic surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis during the period of 1975-79. Presentation and management are discussed and surgical results evaluated clinically. Twenty of these patients had subjective pain relief as well as functional improvement, indicating that decompressive laminectomy offers an improved quality of life for the older person with a relatively safe, simple procedure and few postoperative complications.