腰椎管狹窄通常發生在40-50歲開始，是一種退化性脊椎疾病。它會造成下背痛與神經性間歇性跛腳，進而影響行動能力，社會參與和生活品質，是老年人接受腰椎手術最常的原因。通常它的症狀會持續並不容易消失，因此手術治療常常是最後的選擇，而手術的效果通常良好，但在幾年後似乎還會持續退化最後兩者差異不大。然而人類壽命的延長，常常讓腰椎管狹窄患者在接受過手術後數年，再度面臨需要手術的窘境。而在老老年人是否需要手術治療仍存在著爭議，因為此時開刀的風險會增加。
本研究使用國家衛生研究院全民健保學術研究資料庫為資料來源，進行腰椎管狹窄病患者接受手術治療後預後情形之分析。想了解台灣地區腰椎管狹窄症的發生率與手術率、患者術後其相關併發症的情形、瞭解何種因素的腰椎管狹窄患者較不適合手術治療、腰椎管狹窄患者手術與否存活差異、醫療利用情形與止痛藥物使用情形。
研究結果腰椎管狹窄與頸胸椎管狹窄、骨質疏鬆症與系統性疾病如高血壓糖尿病是有相關。老老人及有骨質疏鬆症的腰椎管狹窄病患，是需要再手術的危險因子，手術前應詳細評估與充分溝通。對於中老人與老老人腰椎管狹窄的手術並非是不必要的，其預後包含存活期，與保守治療相較，雖然沒有明顯差異，但傾向有較好的存活。且根據其他研究顯示開刀治療對於同痛的改善與生活功能的改善皆有幫助，且其重大併發症與死亡率不高。相對而言是一個安全的治療。但大於70歲以上的老老人應該做更嚴謹的評估與溝通。

Lumbar spinal stenosis is a degenerative spine disease, it is a frequent source of pain in the lower back and extremities, impaired walk, and other forms of disability in the elderly. This condition is the most frequent indication for spinal surgery in patients older than 65 years of age. The majority of symptomatic patients report no substantial change over the course of years make watchful waiting is an unsatisfactory strategy, most people will receive operative treatment.
The symptoms and function usually improve after operative treatment, but it worse after years and need reoperation. It is still in debate whether the old elder need to receive operative treatment, because the risk of operation is increase.
This study is plan to analysis the prognosis of elder people who had lumbar spinal stenosis and receive operative treatment by national health insurance research database. This study also analysis the incidence rate, operation rate, complication rate of lumbar spinal stenosis in the elder and the poor prognostic factors. I also try to compare the outcome of nonoperative treatment to operative treatment by surrogate indicator of mortality, drugs dose of pain control and medical resource utility rate.
The study reveal the old elder and osteoporosis are the major risk factor of reoperation. Although this study can't prove the elder lumbar spinal stenosis people with operation had better prognosis, but there are no major complication and mortality in elder lumbar spinal stenosis patient. The other study had show operation patient had better pain control and daily activity improvement. The only thing must be kept in mind is to evaluate and communicate the indication of operation very carefully in old elder with lumbar spinal stenosis.

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