Context

Lumbar spinal stenosis, caused by arthrosis of the facets and ligamentous hypertrophy, is a common cause of disability in older patients. Many patients suffer from leg pain and weakness, often aggravated by walking and standing. In patients with progressive symptoms that fail to respond to conservative care, surgery is often elected. The widely accepted standard treatment is a non-instrumented bony and ligamentous decompression. Exceptions are made for patients with mobile spondylolisthesis or focal instability, wherein instrumented fusion is often indicated. The recent development of minimally invasive implants, including interspinous process devices, has led to a growing application of these devices for spinal stenosis. The current study evaluates the efficacy of an interspinous process device as …