Lumbar spine or back pain is one of the most important problems in orthopedics and neurosurgery today. Two key ways of treating this malady, lumbar fusion and stabilization, are critically discussed in the forty-three papers in this volume. They represent the best of the contributions to the 5th ICLFS, carefully selected and edited to give a good overview of recent knowledge and the state of the art.

1 Principles of Lumbar Fusion and Stabilization.- 1.1 Biomechanics of Lumbar Spine Instability.- 1.2 The Myth of Solid Posterior Lateral Fusion.- 1.3 Radiological Evidence of Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion.- 2 To Fuse or Not To Fuse.- Section I Determination of Segmental Instability.- 2.1 The Role of External Fixation as a Predictor of Fusion Success.- 2.2 Assessment of Segmental Spinal Instability Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging.- 2.3 Intraoperative Measurement of Lumbar Spinal Stiffness.- Section II The Merits and Demerits of Lumbar Fusion.- 2.4 The Long-Term Effect of Lumbar Spine Fusion: Deterioration of Adjacent Motion Segments.- 2.5 A Critical Analysis of Motion of the Lumbar Spine Adjacent to an Interbody Fusion: A Clinical Radiological Study and Biomechanical Cadaveric Study.- 2.6 Anterior Interbody Fusion for Degenerative Spondylolisthesis: The Long-Term Clinical Results.- 2.7 Clinical Results of Lumbar Fusion for Heavy Workers with Lumbar Disk Herniation.- Section III Multi-Segmental Spondylosis.- 2.8 Multi-Segmental Spondylosis: An Overview of Presentations at the Fifth International Conference on Lumbar Fusion and Stabilization.- 2.9 Patient Selection for Stabilization of Multisegmental Spondylosis.- 2.10 A Clinical Study of Degenerative Lumbar Scoliosis.- 2.11 Surgical Management of Degenerative Lumbar Scoliosis.- 2.12 Treatment of Multilevel Anterior and Retrolisthesis of the Lumbosacral Spine.- 2.13 Posterior Stabilization for Lumbar Degenerative Kyphosis: In Situ Fusion in Maximum Extension on Hall's Frame.- 2.14 Operative Treatment of Lumbar Degenerative Kyphosis.- 2.15 Non-Instrumentation Stabilization/Decompression Procedure for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: Significance of Expansive Laminoplasty.- 3 Stabilization Methods.- 3.1 How to Stabilize theLumbar Spine: An Overview.- 3.2 Results of Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion for Lytic and Degenerative Spondylolisthesis.- 3.3 Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion: With and Without Pedicle Screw Fixation.- 3.4 Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion Combined Auto- and Allograft Technique.- 3.5 Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion with Allograft and Plates.- 3.6 Effects of Ceramic Interspinous Block on Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion.- 3.7 Boucher Screw Fixation of the Spine: A Translaminar Pedicle Screw Technique.- 3.8 Reduction and Stabilization of High Grade Spondylolisthesis: A Study of 29 Patients Using a Posterior Approach.- 3.9 Lumbar Diskectomy, Facetectomy, and Laminectomy of L4-L5 and L5-S1 Levels: Experimental Approach and Biomechanical Consequences of Practical Application.- 4 Spinal Instrumentation.- Section I Biomechanics.- 4.1 Biomechanical Analysis of Lumbosacral Fixation.- 4.2 Comparative Study of Three Pedicle Screw Devices.- 4.3 Biomechanical Study of Pedicle Screw Fixation Systems for the Lumbar Spine.- Section II Pedicle Screw Systems.- 4.4 Lumbosacral Fusion with Pedicular Screw Plating Instrumentation: 10-year Follow-up Results.- 4.5 Simmons Plating System for Spinal Fusion Surgery.- 4.6 Stabilization of Spondylolisthesis: The Hartshill System.- 4.7 Lumbar Spinal Stabilization by the MOSS System.- 4.8 Internal Fixation of the Lumbar Spine: Further Clinical Experience Using Computer Assisted Design and Manufacture of a Precise System.- 4.9 Complications of Lumbar Spinal Surgery with Transpedicular Fixation.- 5 Bank Bone and Bone Graft Substitutes.- 5.1 Recent Trends in the Use of Bank Bone in Spinal Surgery: Replies to Questionnaires from the United States.- 5.2 Defatted, Gas-Sterilized Bone Allograft as Bank Bone: Preparation, Safety, and Utility for Lumbar Spine Surgery.- 5.3 A Titanium Implant for Interbody Fusion in Degenerative Lumbar Disk Disease.- 5.4 Use of Hydroxyapatite Blocks in Posterior Interbody Fusion.- 5.5 A Carbon Fiber Implant to Aid Interbody Lumbar Fusion: 1-year Clinical Results in the First 26 Patients.- Keyword Index.