Study Design: Level 4 retrospective review.

Purpose: To compare the radiographic and clinical outcomes between posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) and lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) with posterior segmental spinal instrumentation (SSI) for degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis.

Overview Of Literature: Both PLIF and LLIF have been performed for degenerative spondylolisthesis with good results, but no study has directly compared these two techniques so far.

Methods: The electronic medical and radiographic records of 78 matched patients were analyzed. In one group, 39 patients underwent PLIF with SSI at 41 levels (L3-4/L4-5), while in the other group, 39 patients underwent the LLIF procedure at 48 levels (L3-4/L4-5). Radiological outcomes such as restoration of disc height and neuroforaminal height, segmental lumbar lordosis, total lumbar lordosis, incidence of endplate fracture, and subsidence were measured. Perioperative parameters were also recorded in each group. Clinical outcome in both groups was assessed by the short form-12, Oswestry disability index and visual analogue scale scores. The average follow-up period was 16.1 months in the LLIF group and 21 months in the PLIF group.

Results: The restoration of disc height, foraminal height, and segmental lumbar lordosis was significantly better in the LLIF group (p<0.001). The duration of the operation was similar in both groups, but the average blood loss was significantly lower in the LLIF group (p<0.001). However, clinical outcome scores were similar in both groups.

Conclusions: Safe, effective interbody fusion can be achieved at multiple levels with neuromonitoring by the lateral approach. LLIF is a viable treatment option in patients with new onset symptoms due to degenerative spondylolisthesis who have had previous lumbar spine surgery, and it results in improved sagittal alignment and indirect foraminal decompression.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4591435PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.4184/asj.2015.9.5.668DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

lumbar interbody
16
interbody fusion
16
lumbar lordosis
12
lumbar
9
lateral lumbar
8
posterior lumbar
8
degenerative lumbar
8
group patients
8
patients underwent
8
levels l3-4/l4-5
8

Similar Publications

Study Design: Matched case-control study.

Purpose: To evaluate the midterm outcomes of unilateral pedicle screw fixation (UPSF) versus bilateral pedicle screw fixation (BPSF) in transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) procedure, ascertain efficacy of UPSF in adequately decompressing contralateral foramen+spinal canal and reducing rate of adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) at 4-8-year follow-up (FU).

Overview Of Literature: Previous meta-analyses found no significant differences between UPSF and BPSF regarding fusion rates, clinical and radiological outcomes; however, few studies have reported higher rates of cage migration/subsidence and pseudoarthrosis in the UPSF.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Posterior lumbar fusion (PLF) is a common spine surgery that may be considered in patients with underlying comorbidities, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Prior literature examining the association of this disease and PLF outcomes was done in the National Inpatient Sample (NIS), which only assessed in-hospital data and did not reveal an elevated risk of medical or surgical complications. However, characterization of PLF outcomes beyond hospital discharge is important and remains unknown for patients with IBD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Cage subsidence can negatively affect lumbar fusion procedures, with material selection (PEEK vs. 3D-Ti) influencing this issue; the study aims to compare their subsidence rates.
  • The systematic search reviewed 265 patients from three high-quality studies, focusing on cage subsidence and classified subsidence rates using a specific method.
  • Results indicated that 3D-Ti cages have a significantly lower rate of subsidence compared to PEEK cages, with less severe subsidence and better overall performance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!