Operative Treatment

Indications for operative treatment include failure of conservative therapy, disturbing postural abnormality, neurological deficit, observed slip progression, or the presence of several of the risk factors for slip progression as described above. Pathologic processes that may lead to similar symptoms and signs, however, must first be excluded. Operative treatment for spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis employs variable combinations of neural decompression, bony fusion, and instrumentation. Careful patient selection can lead to excellent results with each of these methods.