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Facet arthrosis is a universal finding in the human lumbar spine. Evidence of arthrosis begins early, with more than one half of adults younger than 30 years demonstrating arthritic changes in the facets. The most common arthritic level appears to be L4-L5. Men have a higher prevalence and degree of facet arthrosis than women.

Posterior lumbar decompression and fusion can be safely performed in elderly patients, with a low rate of major complications. The addition of instrumentation does not increase the complication rate. These results differ from those previously reported in the literature, which describe a significantly higher rate of complications in this age group, with a prolonged rate of hospitalization.

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Level III, therapeutic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

SBO has an overall prevalence of 12.4% in a large, diverse population. SBO is more common in men and whites and decreases in prevalence with increasing age. The STA is greater in SBO when compared with controls and an increased STA predicts SBO. In SBO, the STA decreases with increasing age.

Cement augmentation of refractory OVCF improves survival for up to 2 years when compared with conservative pain management with bed rest, narcotics, and extension bracing, regardless of age, sex, and number of fractures or comorbidities. Therefore, aggressive management should be considered for refractory OVCFs with intractable back pain.

No abstract