66 patients scheduled for operative management of single-level stenosis and grade 1 spondylolisthesis were randomized to either laminectomy plus fusion, or laminectomy alone. Patients were followed-up at 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months, and 1, 2, 3, and 4 years postoperatively for general health-related quality of life using the Short Form 36-Item General Healthy Survey Physical Component Score (SF-36 PCS) and the Oswestry Disability Index. Results for the SF-36 PCS demonstrated a significantly greater improvement in scores after 2, 3, and 4 years in the fusion group compared to laminectomy alone. Results on the ODI demonstrated no significant difference between groups in improvement from baseline at any time point.