34 patients who had degenerative lumbar stenosis underwent total laminectomy and bilateral medial facetectomy were studied ciinically and radiographicaUy. The patients were invited to our outpatient clinic at the mean of 2.5 years postoperatively. Functional and 4 sided iumbosacrai graphies were taken besides neuroiogicai examİnation at control. Patients were divided into two groups (Group 1:22 cases vvithout spondylolisthesis, Group 2: 12 cases with spondylolisthesis) according to the presence of spondytoüsthesis in postoperative direct graphies.
82% of cases improved while the clinical outcome of 12% did not change and 6% worsened. The ratio of postoperative spondylolisthesis İs 35% in this serİes. The rate of development of spondylolisthesis was very low in patients with İntervertebral bone bridging. W e observed a very high ratio of development of spondylolisthesis with laminectomy at three levels.
Keywords: spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, instability