Role of Surgeon Demographic Factors in the Management of L4-5 Grade I Spondylolisthesis: A Survey by the AO Spine Knowledge Forum Degenerative

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey. Objective: We explore the demographic factors amongst surgeons responsible for decision-making in the management of Grade I L4-5 degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis(DLS). Methods: A survey presenting three clinical scenarios of DLS with varying degrees of neurological compression and instability was distributed to the AOSpine members globally to ascertain surgical management preferences. Management options such as decompression only or decompression and fusion and the techniques that would be employed were presented to the responders. Results: After dissemination, 479 surgeons responded to the survey. Direct decompression was preferred for all three scenarios with and without neurologic deficits(82.5, 81.2, and 56.8%), with the majority favoring open procedures over minimally invasive or endoscopic procedures. Notably, younger, less experienced, and fellowship-trained surgeons showed a higher inclination toward minimally invasive and indirect decompression methods. A strong preference for surgical fusion over decompression(75.2, 92.5 and 86.6%, respectively) was also significantly observed, reflecting a general consensus on the need to achieve segmental stability. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate a pronounced preference for direct decompression and fusion among a group of global surgeons when treating L4-5 Grade I DLS across all demographics. This indicates a consensus on achieving decompression and stability; however, there are some trends indicating the impact of surgical management based on age, experience, and training of the treating providers. These findings suggest an evolution of surgical interventions toward less invasive techniques, particularly among younger surgeons, highlighting the need for global education to adopt innovative approaches in the management of DLS.