Low-Grade Spondylolisthesis

Spondylolisthesis is an often painful condition affecting millions of people in North America with some ethnic variability. It is characterized by the displacement, usually anterior, of on vertebral body upon another. There are familial predispositions to having the lesion, and a family history of spondylolisthesis may raise one's clinical suspicion. Although the diagnosis is easily made on radiographic evaluation, the pathoetiology and appropriate treatment modality are not always as clear. In the absence of severe neurological symptoms or an unsafe component of instability, a trial of conservative management is reasonable and prudent. Nevertheless, surgical management is more efficacious for enduring symptomatic relief and restoration of physical function. Whereas assessment of postoperative radiographic results lends insight to surgical technique, the true barometer of treatment success is improvement in patient quality of life.