I have a serious stenosis L4-L5 and a significant stenosis L3-L4.
This is clearly documented by CT and MRI imaging. My back pain is still moderated but I have leg weakness, some leg pain and right leg loosing functionality (loss of some muscles use). In addition I have cold lower legs and feet practically all time and especially at night numbness in my feet.
I am evaluating what possibly to do and I need help from people with similar experience. I have seen 3 neurosurgeons here in Italy offering different approaches to my problem.
The first just collected data and diagnosed the situation but is not actually suggesting action a part from wait and see.
The second is suggesting a decompression doing a two levels laminotomy (fenestration) of the lamina (total anesthesia procedure).
The third one is proposing a surgery (epidural anasthesia) with not predefined end point (in due course he will decide accordingly to the situation he sees on fenestration alone or laminectomy with fusion and instrumentation.
I know a couple of patients recently treated by the last one and both ended with fusion and instrumentation.
No one of these surgeon gave me a clear review of the risks and of the probabiblity of negative outcomes.
Could anyone suggest me a minimal risk strategy to proceed from this point ?