Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Stenosis due to lumbar degenerative disease is associated with aging and often requires surgical treatment to provide decompression of the neural elements and alleviation of the symptoms. We present an 83-yo female patient, with neurological claudication and bilateral L5 paresis, treated with undercutting and bilateral flavectomy at the level L4-L5 without fusion. With this case we would like to illustrate the decision-making problem for or against fusion and the operative approach for adequate decompression without causing further instability. We discuss the indications of undercutting and the evidence against routinely performing fusion and compare our presentation to the current literature.