Vertebral Slippage and Deformity in Rat Immature Spine Model after Posterior Destabilizing Surgery

Purpose Wedging of L5 vertebral body and rounding of the surface of the sacrum are well-documented deformities associated with spondylolytic spondylolisthesis.The contribution of such deformities to vertebral slippage has been a matter of controversy, although the results of many follow-up clinical studies have Indicated that the deformities are a consequence of the slippage rather than the causative factors (2, 6). In order to develop an appropriate treatment to prevent such deformities, their pathomechanism must be elucidated. Establishment of an appropriate experimental model would be a key step in this directions. The purpose of this study was, thus, to examine vertebral deformities secondary to posterior destabilizing surgery in rats, and to compare them with the morphological changes of the lumbo-sacral spine in patients with spondylolytic olisthesis in children and adolescents.