Synonyms and related keywords: central stenosis, central canal stenosis, foraminal stenosis, intervertebral foramen stenosis, lateral gutter stenosis, lateral recess stenosis, stenosis, subarticular stenosis, subpedicular stenosis, spinal stenosis, neurogenic claudication, NC, lumbar spinal stenosis, LSS, neural compression, spinal canal narrowing, ligamentum flavum hypertrophy, facet hypertrophy of cephalad vertebra, vertebral body osteophytosis, herniated nucleus pulposus, HNP, foraminal canal stenosis, incomplete vertebral arch closure, spinal dysraphism, segmentation failure, achondroplasia, osteopetrosis, early vertebral arch ossification, osseous exostosis, shortened pedicles, thoracolumbar kyphosis, apical vertebral wedging, anterior vertebral beaking, Morquio syndrome, posterior disc protrusion, zygapophyseal joint hypertrophy, spondylolisthesis, laminectomy, discectomy, Paget disease, fluorosis, acromegaly, ankylosing spondylitis, disc desiccation, degenerative disc disease, DDD, failed back surgery syndrome, bilateral neurogenic claudication, cauda equina microvascular ischemia, intraneural fibrosis, radiculopathy
Author: Michael B Furman, MD, MS, Fellowship Director, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Orthopedic and Spine Specialists Coauthor(s): Kirk M Puttlitz, MD, President, Kirk M. Puttlitz, M.D., PLC; Robert Pannullo, MD, Interventional Spinal Care Fellow, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, KDV Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Ltd; Jeremy Simon, MD, Interventional Spine Fellow, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Orthopaedics and Spine Specialists, Ltd
Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) implies spinal canal narrowing with possible subsequent neural compression. LSS is classified by anatomy or etiology. Anatomic subclassifications include central canal and lateral recess stenosis. The classification of lumbar stenosis is important because of the implications of the underlying etiology and because it affects the therapeutic strategy, specifically the surgical approach.

Author: John NK Hsiang, MD, PhD, Consulting Surgeon, Department of Neurosurgery, Virginia Mason Medical Center
Contents - Introduction Indications Workup Treatment Complications Outcome And Prognosis Future And Controversies Bibliography
Synonyms and related keywords: spinal stenosis, lumbar stenosis, narrowing of the spinal canal, narrowing of the nerve root canals, narrowing of the intervertebral foramina, spondylosis, degenerative disk disease, cervical spine, lumbar spine, thoracic spine, primary stenosis, congenital stenosis, acquired stenosis, osteophytes, bone spurs, facet hypertrophy, bulging disks, hypertrophy of the ligamentum flavum, canal narrowing, foraminal narrowing, degenerative spondylolisthesis, cauda equina syndrome

Article by Vokshoor & Jamali
Contents - Introduction Cervical And Thoracic Stenosis Lumbar Stenosis Clinical Presentation Radiological Studies Natural History And Conservative Measures Surgical Treatment Conclusion Pictures Bibliography
Synonyms and related keywords: spondylosis, spinal canal narrowing, neurogenic claudication, myopathy, focal stenosis, lateral recess syndrome, cervical spondylotic myelopathy, CSM, ligamentum flavum hypertrophy

Contents: Introduction Differentials Radiograph CT SCAN MRI Nuclear Medicine Angiography Intervention Multimedia References
Authors: Lennard A Nadalo, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School; Consulting Staff, Envision Imaging of Allen and Radiological Consultants Association
James A Moody, MD, Chief, Neurosurgery Section, Department of Surgery, Methodist Medical Center
Acute and chronic neck and lower back pain represents a major health care problem in the United States. An estimated 75% of all people will experience back pain at some time in their lives. Most patients who present with an acute episode of back pain recover without surgery, while 3-5% of patients presenting with back pain have a herniated disc, and 1-2% have compression of a nerve root. Older patients present with more chronic or recurrent symptoms of degenerative spinal disease. Progressive narrowing of the spinal canal may occur alone or in combination with acute disc herniations. Congenital and acquired spinal stenoses place the patient at a greater risk for acute neurologic injury.

Images used to illustrate eMedicine articles on Spinal Stenosis

AAOS Online Service Fact SheetSpinal Stenosis Highly Reputable

Search string "Spinal Stenosis"[Majr] requires the article to have spinal stenosis classified as a major subject. 1746 Articles Sept 2007

Information on the diagnosis and treatment of Spinal Stenosis. Mostly patient oriented.
Mission Statement - "The purpose of this website is to provide information about the current standard of care in the diagnosis and treatment of symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis to people with spinal symptoms, medical health care providers and researchers. While every effort has been made to provide balanced, factual information a visit to this site is not an acceptable substitute for a professional medical consultation."

Review of 31 patients aged 65 or older after surgical decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis. 64% of the patients had an excellent result, 17% a good result ad 19% a poor result.
Full text

From Neurosurgical Focus
Treatment of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis With a Total Posterior Arthroplasty Prosthesis: Implant Description, Surgical Technique, and a Prospective Report on 29 Patients
Posted 05/16/2007 Paul Mcafee, M.D.1; Larry T. Khoo, M.D.2; Luiz Pimenta, M.D.3; Andy Capuccino, M.D.4; Domagoj Coric, M.D.5; Robert Hes, M.D.6; Bart Conix, M.D.6; Farbod Asgarzadie, M.D.2; Azmi Hamzaoglu, M.D.7; Yigal Mirofsky, M.D.8; Yoram Anekstein, M.D.8
Abstract Object: Total disc replacement is an alternative to lumbar fusion, but patients with spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, and facet arthropathy are often excluded from this procedure because increased adjacent-segment motion can exacerbate dorsal spondylotic changes. In such cases of degenerative spondylolisthesis with stenosis, decompression and fusion remain the gold standard of treatment. To avoid attendant loss of motion at the treated segment, the TOPS system is a novel total posterior arthroplasty prosthesis that allows for an alternative dynamic, multiaxial, three-column stabilization and motion preservation. The purpose of this study is to report preliminary surgical data and clinical outcomes in patients treated with the TOPS lumbar total posterior arthroplasty system.

The X STOP May Reduce Neurogenic Claudication in Lumbar Spinal Stenosis CME
June 23, 2005 — The X STOP, an interspinous process decompression system, is successful in reducing symptoms of neurogenic intermittent claudication (NIC) secondary to lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), according to the results of a multicenter, prospective, randomized study published in the June 15 issue of Spine.
"X STOP provides an alternative therapy to conservative treatment and decompressive surgery for patients suffering from NIC," write James F. Zucherman, MD, from St Mary's Hospital in San Francisco, California, and colleagues. "The X STOP is implanted between the spinous processes and reduces pathologic extension at the symptomatic level(s), while allowing flexion and unrestricted axial rotation and lateral bending. Biomechanical studies have shown that the implant significantly reduces intradiscal pressure and facet load and prevents narrowing of the spinal canal and neural foramens."