Study design:

Retrospective case series.

Purpose:

This study aimed to analyze how the sagittal spinopelvic alignment is influenced by an attempted surgical reduction of the L5-S1 segment in patients with high-grade spondylolisthesis (HGS).

Overview of literature:

Conventional treatment strategies stress the importance of achieving fusion across the lumbosacral junction in patients with HGS. The role of reduction in this subset of patients is controversial.

Methods:

This is a retrospective case series of 35 patients with Meyerding grades III, IV, or V spondylolisthesis who underwent surgical treatment in our institution. Before and after surgery, we took standing lateral radiographs from L1 vertebra to pelvis, including the femoral heads, and measured the slip grade, pelvic incidence, sacral slope, pelvic tilt, lumbosacral angle, and lumbar lordosis. Patients were subdivided into “balanced” and “unbalanced” pelvis groups. To determine the effect and correlation of reduction on these spinopelvic parameters, we statistically compared the pre- and postoperative measurements.

Results:

The average follow-up was 9 months (range, 3-169 months). Slip grade improved from an average 74.0%±13.2% to 30.0%±14.0% (p<0.001), and lumbosacral angle reduced from an average 32.0°±11.6° to 6.0°±0.6° (p<0.001). Although the pelvic tilt was reduced, this was not significant. There was a modest negative correlation between the reduction in slip grade and the increase in sacral slope (r=-0.3, p=0.06). At follow-up, five patients improved, from an unbalanced pelvis to a balanced pelvis. Fusion occurred in 33 patients (95%).

Conclusions:

Surgical reduction of HGS restores the lumbosacral alignment. However, a similar trend is not noted with the pelvic parameters.