Is Removal of Lumbar Instrumentation beneficial for the treatment of Recurrent Low Back Pain?

Introduction: Removing spinal instrumentation in the absence of pseudarthrosis for the treatment of recurrent low back and leg pain is controversy discussed. This study compared two groups of patients who either had a solid or loose instrumentation for spinal fusion at the time of removal and the absence of pseudarthrosis and evaluated their outcome postoperatively, to determine if instrumentation removal is beneficial for patients with recurrent low back pain following lumbar fusion. Patients and Methods: 45 patients underwent an anterior and posterior lumbar spinal fusion. The removal of metalwork was performe…