Richard,
Sorry that you are facing such a serious surgery. With all the appropriate, "I'm not a doctor" qualifiers, I'll comment based on what you'e posted. This is all kind of hypothetical... but here goes.
The pars defects at L5-S1 rule out ADR. It sounds like they are treating L2-3-4 prophylactically because a 2-level fusion below will overload the already degenerated discs, but if they are truly only mildly degenerated, I'd question treating them if they are not pain generators.
If they fused 5-1 and put an ADR at 4-5, would it be necessary to use the interspineous devices above?
What interspineous device are they planning on using?
Laypersons' opinions on the internet are of little value, so don't put too much stock in what you read here. Having said that, I'm glad that you are asking the right questions. Without having access to surgeons that do ADR... you may be getting biased opinions from your caregivers too.
I sure wish this process was easier to navigate! Good luck!
Mark
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