Isthmic Spondylolisthesis

Isthmic spondylolisthesis is a condition characterized by the anterior slippage of one vertebral body over the other due to a fracture in the pars interarticularis or isthmus vertebral. In the adult population, it can present with low back pain from both pars interarticularis defect and disc degeneration, and neurologic symptoms, resulting from nerve root impingement and rarely from compression of cauda equina. Most symptomatic cases are successfully managed nonsurgically, but patients with intractable pain or neurologic impairment may benefit from surgical decompression and stabilization. Surgical techniques include decompression, posterolateral fusion, anterior interbody fusion procedures, and circumferential fusion methods with and without listhesis reduction.