Developmental spondylolisthesis: is slip angle related to quality of life?

Lumbosacral kyphosis (LSK) is considered to be an important aspect of the deformity in adolescent developmental spondylolisthesis, but its clinical impact is not known. The purpose of this study was to clarify if slip angle (SA), a parameter commonly used to measure LSK, has a significant impact on the quality of life of patient with spondylolisthesis. Eighty-six patients with lumbosacral developmental spondylolisthesis were evaluated. There were 67 low-grade and 19 high-grade spondylolisthesis. All patients completed the SF-12v2 questionnaires. The score of the mental and physical component summary (MCS and PCS) of SF-12v2 were correlated with the slip angle. The correlation of SA was only significant with PCS and not with MCS. PCS decreased significantly with increasing SA (Spearman's rho=-0.40, p<0.001). LSK has a significant impact on the physical aspect of the quality of life of adolescent with spondylolisthesis. LSK is an important part of the deformity in developmental spondylolisthesis and should be included in the routine radiological evaluation of patient with spondylolisthesis.