PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Sim, David Shaoen
AU  - Sim, Craigven Hao Sheng
AU  - Jiang, Lei
AU  - Ling, Zhixing Marcus
TI  - Single-Level Endoscopic TLIF Has Decreased Surgery Duration, Blood Loss, and Length of Hospital Stay While Achieving Similar 1-Year Clinical and Radiological Outcomes Compared With Conventional Minimally Invasive TLIF
AID  - 10.14444/8455
DP  - 2023 Jun 09
TA  - International Journal of Spine Surgery
PG  - 8455
4099  - https://www.ijssurgery.com/content/early/2023/06/09/8455.short
4100  - https://www.ijssurgery.com/content/early/2023/06/09/8455.full
AB  - Background This study presents a single surgeon’s experience comparing 1-year outcomes of endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (E-TLIF) vs minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) in an Asian population.Methods Retrospective review of consecutive patients who underwent single-level E-TLIF or MIS-TLIF by a single surgeon in a tertiary spine institution from 2018 to 2021 with 1-year follow-up. Inclusion criteria for both procedures were degenerative disc disease with grade I or II spondylolisthesis and mild to moderate central canal stenosis. Clinical outcomes assessed included surgery duration, blood loss, and length of stay. Patient-reported outcomes assessed included the visual analog score for back pain and lower limb pain, Oswestry Disability Index, and North American Spine Society Neurogenic Symptom Score. Radiographic parameters assessed included segmental lordosis, posterior disc height, listhesis, and the presence of cage migration or subsidence.Results Twelve E-TLIF and 34 MIS-TLIF patients were identified. E-TLIF had shorter surgery duration (165 ± 15 vs 259 ± 43 min for E-TLIF and MIS-TLIF groups, respectively; P < 0.001), reduced blood loss (83 ± 75 vs 181 ± 225 mL; P = 0.033), and decreased length of stay (1.8 ± 0.9 vs 4.7 ± 2.9 days; P < 0.001) compared with MIS-TLIF. E-TLIF and MIS-TLIF patients had significant improvements (P < 0.05) at 1 year in all patient-reported outcomes scores and radiographic parameters assessed. Both E-TLIF and MIS-TLIF patient groups also had similar postoperative patient-reported outcomes scores and radiographic parameters. No complications were recorded for E-TLIF, while MIS-TLIF had a case of dura tear and another case of meralgia paresthetica. There were no instances of cage subsidence, cage migration, or implant loosening in either group at 1 year.Conclusions Although the study size was limited because E-TLIF is a relatively new technique in our institution, 1-year results demonstrate that E-TLIF can be a safe and efficacious option that achieves clinical and radiological results similar to MIS-TLIF with the additional benefits of decreased surgical duration, blood loss, and length of hospital stay.Clinical Relevance The results of this study support the effectiveness and potential advantages of endoscopic TLIF compared with MIS-TLIF.Level of Evidence 3