Long-term Results for the BacJac Interspinous Device in Lumbar Spine Degenerative Disease.

OBJECTIVE:  To evaluate the long-term results of using the BacJac interspinous device (Pioneer Surgical Technology Inc.) in a series of patients with degenerative lumbar spine disease.

METHODS:  Forty-one patients undergoing lumbar surgery with implantation of a BacJac device from 2009 to 2012 were enrolled in the present study. Patients were evaluated using the Oswestry Disability Scale (ODI).

RESULTS:  Although all patients showed a significant improvement of the ODI score immediately after surgery, only 41% of patients showed a satisfactory outcome. We observed worse results in the patients operated on at the L3-L4 level and in whom the device was implanted in a segment different from the one where surgical decompression had been performed. Weight gain in the months after surgery was also a poor outcome-influencing factor.

CONCLUSIONS:  This study confirms what is already suggested in the relevant literature regarding the long-term inefficacy of the so-called dynamic stabilization devices.