Does surgical treatment of grade 2 spondylolisthesis have sustained improvement in postoperative outcomes regardless of age? A Spine CORe™ analysis of QOD data.
Date
2026-05
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Repository Usage Stats
views
downloads
Citation Stats
Attention Stats
Abstract
Surgical intervention for grade 2 lumbar spondylolisthesis is routinely performed, but outcomes in older patients, in whom the disease is most prevalent, remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to compare patient-reported surgical outcomes between age groups (< 65 years of age vs ≥ 65 years of age) with 5 years of follow-up. The authors hypothesized that patients would have sustained improvement in outcomes in response to surgical treatment for grade 2 spondylolisthesis regardless of age. The multicenter prospectively collected Quality Outcomes Database by the Spine CORe™ study group was retrospectively analyzed for patients who underwent arthrodesis for grade 2 lumbar spondylolisthesis. Across 14 high-enrolling sites, 328 patients with 81% follow-up were identified. Baseline and postoperative 3-month, 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year outcomes including numeric rating scale (NRS) back pain (score 0-10), NRS leg pain (score 0-10), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), EQ-5D scores, and patient satisfaction using the North American Spine Society (NASS) index, were evaluated. These outcomes were compared between younger (< 65 years of age, n = 188) and older (≥ 65 years of age, n = 140) age groups using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. EQ-5D and ODI scores were significantly improved postoperatively in the younger and older age groups (p < 0.001). ODI scores were not significantly different between the age groups at baseline (p = 0.37) or postoperatively at any time point (p > 0.05). EQ-5D scores were not significantly different between the younger and older patient groups at baseline (p = 0.47) or postoperatively at any time point (p > 0.05). NRS leg pain (p = 0.68) and back pain (p = 0.45) scores were not significantly different at baseline across age groups. NRS leg pain was not significantly different postoperatively (p > 0.05). Older patients had lower back pain scores (p = 0.03) at 3 months postoperatively, but not at any other time points (p > 0.05). Leg and back pain scores improved postoperatively up to 5 years of follow-up in all patients (p < 0.0001). A majority of the younger (83.5%) and older (89.5%) patients reported satisfaction with their surgical outcome up to 5 years after surgery, and postoperative NASS satisfaction scores were not significantly different between the younger and older age groups at any time point (p > 0.05). In response to surgical treatment, patients over 65 years of age have significant improvements similar to those of younger patients. Surgical treatment is a viable option for improvement regardless of age.
Type
Department
Description
Provenance
Subjects
Citation
Permalink
Published Version (Please cite this version)
Publication Info
Kharas, Natasha, Anthony Robayo, Evan Wang, Jay D Turner, Juan S Uribe, Anthony L Asher, Paul K Kim, Christopher I Shaffrey, et al. (2026). Does surgical treatment of grade 2 spondylolisthesis have sustained improvement in postoperative outcomes regardless of age? A Spine CORe™ analysis of QOD data. Neurosurgical focus, 60(5). p. E15. 10.3171/2025.12.focus25947 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/34636.
This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
Collections
Scholars@Duke
Christopher Ignatius Shaffrey
I have more than 25 years of experience treating patients of all ages with spinal disorders. I have had an interest in the management of spinal disorders since starting my medical education. I performed residencies in both orthopaedic surgery and neurosurgery to gain a comprehensive understanding of the entire range of spinal disorders. My goal has been to find innovative ways to manage the range of spinal conditions, straightforward to complex. I have a focus on managing patients with complex spinal disorders. My patient evaluation and management philosophy is to provide engaged, compassionate care that focuses on providing the simplest and least aggressive treatment option for a particular condition. In many cases, non-operative treatment options exist to improve a patient’s symptoms. I have been actively engaged in clinical research to find the best ways to manage spinal disorders in order to achieve better results with fewer complications.
Oren N Gottfried
I specialize in the surgical management of all complex cervical, thoracic, lumbar, or sacral spinal diseases by using minimally invasive as well as standard approaches for arthritis or degenerative disease, deformity, tumors, and trauma. I have a special interest in the treatment of thoracolumbar deformities, occipital-cervical problems, and in helping patients with complex spinal issues from previously unsuccessful surgery or recurrent disease.I listen to my patients to understand their symptoms and experiences so I can provide them with the information and education they need to manage their disease. I make sure my patients understand their treatment options, and what will work best for their individual condition. I treat all my patients with care and concern – just as I would treat my family. I am available to address my patients' concerns before and after surgery. I aim to improve surgical outcomes for my patients and care of all spine patients with active research evaluating clinical and radiological results after spine surgery with multiple prospective databases. I am particularly interested in prevention of spinal deformity, infections, complications, and recurrent spinal disease. Also, I study whether patient specific variables including pelvic/sacral anatomy and sagittal spinal balance predict complications from spine surgery.
Unless otherwise indicated, scholarly articles published by Duke faculty members are made available here with a CC-BY-NC (Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial) license, as enabled by the Duke Open Access Policy. If you wish to use the materials in ways not already permitted under CC-BY-NC, please consult the copyright owner. Other materials are made available here through the author’s grant of a non-exclusive license to make their work openly accessible.