Neurológia pre prax 1/2015

Lumbar spinal stenosis – surgery or conservative treatment?

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is considered a slowly progressive disease with long-term clinical stability. However, its natural course remains largely unknown. Two therapeutic options present themselves – conservative treatment or surgical treatment. At the current time, there is no general agreement about approaches to LSS therapy. This article summarizes the pros and cons the two therapeutic methods and presents certain outcome predictors; the authors also draw up recommendations that may assist choice of optimal therapy for patients with LSS.

Keywords: lumbar spinal stenosis, neurogenic claudication, surgery, prognosis.