Journal of pediatric orthopedics
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Previous reports of posterolateral fusion for treatment of adolescent spondylolisthesis at L5-S1 suggest that persistent slippage is a significant problem in the postoperative period. Of 40 adolescent patients who underwent posterolateral fusion for L5-S1 spondylolisthesis, 23 demonstrated Grade 3 slip or worse. ⋯ Improvement in results is attributed to the surgical technique and to postoperative casting. The displacement index, a new method to document relative L5-S1 position, is described.