Resorbable polymer implants in unilateral transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion

2002 ◽  
Vol 97 (4) ◽  
pp. 464-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas G. Lowe ◽  
Jeffrey D. Coe

Object. Sixty patients underwent instrumentation-assisted posterior transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) with resorbable polymer cages and autograft bone for degenerative disease. This article discusses the technique of TLIF and its early outcomes. Methods. Although the follow-up period is short and results are preliminary, no adverse events or complications were attributed to the resorbable polymer. Conclusions. Further multicenter clinical studies are underway with a minimum 2-year follow-up period chosen as an endpoint to provide insight as to the future of biodegradable polymers as spinal interbody devices.

2005 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 218-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jee-Soo Jang ◽  
Sang-Ho Lee

Object. The purpose of this study was to introduce a minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) technique that involves ipsilateral pedicle screw (PS) and contralateral facet screw (FS) fixation. Methods. Eight men and 15 women (mean age 59.5 years, range 48–68) underwent the aforementioned TLIF procedure for degenerative spondylolisthesis and uni- or bilateral radiculopathy. Twenty-two patients underwent one-level fusion and one patient two-level fusion (L4—S1). In all cases the various procedures were undertaken via one small incision. There were no intraoperative complications. The mean estimated blood loss (EBL) was 310 ml, and the mean operative time was 150 minutes in cases of one-level fusion. The follow-up period ranged from 13 to 28 months (mean 19 months). The mean Numeric Rating Scale score reflected improvement-reductions from 7.5 (back pain) and 7.4 (leg pain) to 2.3 and 0.7, respectively (p < 0.0001). The mean Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores also reflected improved status (ODI of 33.1 before the surgery to 7.6 after the surgery; p < 0.0001). Examination indicated that 22 of 24 fusion sites exhibited osseous union. At the last follow-up examination, satisfactory outcomes were observed in 21 out of 23 patients. Conclusions. The TLIF with ipsilateral PS and contralateral FS fixation has the advantages over the conventional TLIF of reduced EBL and diminished soft-tissue injury.


2004 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis J. Rivet ◽  
David Jeck ◽  
James Brennan ◽  
Adrian Epstein ◽  
Carl Lauryssen

Object. The authors conducted a prospective study to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes and complications associated with uni- and bilateral transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) performed using carbon fiber Brantigan I/F Cages and pedicle screw fixation. Methods. Forty-two consecutive patients who had undergone uni- or bilateral TLIF between February 1999 and July 2000 were prospectively evaluated. Clinical outcome was graded using a modified Prolo Scale, the McGill Pain Index Scale, a follow-up questionnaire, and charts. An independent radiologist assessed radiological outcomes. All patients were followed for at least 1 year. Based on Prolo Scale scores, an excellent or good 1-year outcome was achieved in 73% of patients; 90% of patients responded that they would undergo the procedure again. At 1 year, radiographic fusion was demonstrated in 74% and was statistically related to clinical outcome (p < 0.05). There were no deaths or major hardware failures. Complications requiring repeated surgery included one case of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage and one case in which the hemovac drain was retained. There were four cases involving minor wound infections, eight involving CSF leaks, and none requiring repeated surgery. On routine follow-up radiography one pedicle screw was found to be broken; the patient remained asymptomatic and fusion occurred. Conclusions. Unilateral and bilateral TLIF involving placement of carbon fiber cages and pedicle screw fixation are effective treatment options in patients with indications for lumbar arthrodesis. The procedures result in acceptable rates of fusion and clinical success, and a minimal incidence of morbidity when performed by an experienced surgeon.


2003 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jee Soo Jang ◽  
Sang Ho Lee ◽  
Sang Rak Lim

Because the degree of immediate stabilization provided by cage-assisted anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) has been shown by several studies to be inadequate, supplementary posterior fixation, such as that created by translaminar or transpedicle screw fixation, is necessary. In this study, the authors studied the ALIF-augmentation procedure in which a special guide device is used to place percutaneously translaminar facet screws in 18 patients with degenerative lumbar disease. The minimum follow-up period was 1 month (mean 6 months, range 1–13 months). Degenerative spondylolisthesis with foraminal stenosis was diagnosed in nine patients, associated degenerative disc disease alone or combined with foraminal stenosis in eight, and recurrent disc herniation in one. Following screw placement, computerized tomography scanning was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of the facet screw positioning. All screws were properly placed. No screw penetrated the spinal canal or injured the neural structures. Excellent or good clinical outcomes were demonstrated in all patients at the last follow up. The use of this guide device for post—ALIF percutaneous translaminar facet screw fixation represents a safe, accurate, and minimally invasive modality with which to achieve immediate solid fixation in the lumbar spine.


2001 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan Barnes ◽  
Gerald E. Rodts ◽  
Mark R. McLaughlin ◽  
Regis W. Haid

Object. The authors retrospectively reviewed a series of 35 patients with mechanical low-back or one- to two-level discogenic pain; the patients underwent lumbar interbody fusion in which threaded cortical bone dowels (TCBDs) were placed to treat degenerative disc disease. The purpose of the study was to delineate fusion rates and outcome data in this series of patients. Methods. The series was composed of 18 women and 17 men whose mean age was 46 years (range 17–76 years). There were nine active cigarette smokers. All patients presented with symptoms consistent with mechanical low-back or discogenic pain, and magnetic resonance imaging revealed degenerative changes related to disc collapse at one or two vertebral levels. For placement of the TCBDs, 23 patients underwent posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF), whereas 12 patients underwent anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF). In all except one patient undergoing PLIF, pedicle screw and rod constructs were used without posterolateral fusion. In all patients undergoing ALIF except one, TCBDs were used as stand-alone devices without supplemental fixation. At follow up the success of fusion was determined by static lumbar radiography and/or computerized tomography scanning. The degree of lumbar lordosis at the diseased level was measured immediately postoperatively and compared with that documented on follow-up radiological studies. Outcomes were assessed using a modified Prolo Scale. Excellent and good outcomes were considered satisfactory, and fair or poor outcomes were considered unsatisfactory. In 28 patients (eight ALIF and 20 PLIF) radiological and clinical follow-up data were considered adequate. The mean follow-up duration was 12.3 months. Overall satisfactory outcome was 60%; 70% satisfactory outcome was noted in PLIF patients and 38% in ALIF patients. Osseous fusion was present in 95% of the patients in the PLIF group and in 13% of those in the ALIF group. Complications included one L-5 nerve root injury and two postoperative wound infections, all in patients who underwent PLIF; in an ALIF patient lateral breakout of one implant occurred at 8 months postoperatively. Conclusions. Analysis of the mean 12.3 month follow-up data indicates that there is a dramatically higher fusion rate in PLIF compared with ALIF procedures when TCBDs are used. The authors believe that it is important to note that in all the PLIF procedures except one, supplemental pedicle screw/rod constructs were used, whereas in ALIF procedures no supplemental fixation was performed. The results thus suggest that TCBDs are best used in PLIF in conjunction with pedicle screw and rod constructs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-88
Author(s):  
Ping-Guo Duan ◽  
Praveen V. Mummaneni ◽  
Minghao Wang ◽  
Andrew K. Chan ◽  
Bo Li ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEIn this study, the authors’ aim was to investigate whether obesity affects surgery rates for adjacent-segment degeneration (ASD) after transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) for spondylolisthesis.METHODSPatients who underwent single-level TLIF for spondylolisthesis at the University of California, San Francisco, from 2006 to 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Inclusion criteria were a minimum 2-year follow-up, single-level TLIF, and degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis. Exclusion criteria were trauma, tumor, infection, multilevel fusions, non-TLIF fusions, or less than a 2-year follow-up. Patient demographic data were collected, and an analysis of spinopelvic parameters was performed. The patients were divided into two groups: mismatched, or pelvic incidence (PI) minus lumbar lordosis (LL) ≥ 10°; and balanced, or PI-LL < 10°. Within the two groups, the patients were further classified by BMI (< 30 and ≥ 30 kg/m2). Patients were then evaluated for surgery for ASD, matched by BMI and PI-LL parameters.RESULTSA total of 190 patients met inclusion criteria (72 males and 118 females, mean age 59.57 ± 12.39 years). The average follow-up was 40.21 ± 20.42 months (range 24–135 months). In total, 24 patients (12.63% of 190) underwent surgery for ASD. Within the entire cohort, 82 patients were in the mismatched group, and 108 patients were in the balanced group. Within the mismatched group, adjacent-segment surgeries occurred at the following rates: BMI < 30 kg/m2, 2.1% (1/48); and BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2, 17.6% (6/34). Significant differences were seen between patients with BMI ≥ 30 and BMI < 30 (p = 0.018). A receiver operating characteristic curve for BMI as a predictor for ASD was established, with an AUC of 0.69 (95% CI 0.49–0.90). The optimal BMI cutoff value determined by the Youden index is 29.95 (sensitivity 0.857; specificity 0.627). However, in the balanced PI-LL group (108/190 patients), there was no difference in surgery rates for ASD among the patients with different BMIs (p > 0.05).CONCLUSIONSIn patients who have a PI-LL mismatch, obesity may be associated with an increased risk of surgery for ASD after TLIF, but in obese patients without PI-LL mismatch, this association was not observed.


2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher E. Wolfla ◽  
Dennis J. Maiman ◽  
Frank J. Coufal ◽  
James R. Wallace

Object. Intertransverse arthrodesis in which instrumentation is placed is associated with an excellent fusion rate; however, treatment of patients with symptomatic nonunion presents a number of difficulties. Revision posterior and traditional anterior procedures are associated with methodological problems. For example, in the latter, manipulation of the major vessels from L-2 to L-4 may be undesirable. The authors describe a method for performing retroperitoneal lumbar interbody fusion (LIF) in which a threaded cage is placed from L-2 through L-5 via a lateral trajectory, and they also detail a novel technique for implanting a cage from L-5 to S-1 via an oblique trajectory. Although they present data obtained over a 2-year period in the study of 15 patients, the focus of this report is primarily on describing the surgical procedure. Methods. The lateral lumbar spine was exposed via a standard retroperitoneal approach. Using the anterior longitudinal ligament as a landmark, the L2–3 through L4–5 levels were fitted with instrumentation via a true lateral trajectory; the L5—S1 level was fitted with instrumentation via an oblique trajectory. A single cage was placed at each instrumented level. Fifteen symptomatic patients in whom previous lumbar fusion had failed underwent retroperitoneal LIF. Thirty-eight levels were fitted with instrumentation. There have been no instrumentation-related failures, and fusion has occurred at 37 levels during the 2-year postoperative period. Conclusions. The use of retroperitoneal LIF in which threaded fusion cages are used avoids the technical difficulties associated with repeated posterior procedures. In addition, it allows L2—S1 instrumentation to be placed anteriorly via a single surgical approach. This construct has been shown to be biomechanically sound in animal models, and it appears to be a useful alternative for the management of failed multilevel intertransverse arthrodesis.


2005 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 436-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan T. Villavicencio ◽  
Sigita Burneikiene ◽  
E. Lee Nelson ◽  
Ketan R. Bulsara ◽  
Mark Favors ◽  
...  

Object. Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein—2 (rhBMP-2) is being increasingly used for spinal fusion. There are few data regarding its clinical safety, effectiveness, and clinical outcome when applied on an absorbable collagen sponge (ACS) in conjunction with allograft for transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). Methods. Seventy-four consecutive patients undergoing TLIF for degenerative disc disease were divided into five groups depending on whether the patient underwent a minimally invasive or open approach, as well as the number of spinal levels surgically treated. Surgery-related data, fusion results, complications, and clinical outcome were evaluated. The mean follow-up duration was 20.6 months (range 14–28 months). The radiographic fusion rate was 100% at 12 and 24 months after the surgery. No bone overgrowth or other complications related to BMP use were demonstrated. Conclusions. Analysis of the results demonstrated that TLIF combined with a BMP-2—soaked ACS is a feasible, effective, and safe method to promote lumbar fusion. There were no significant intergroup differences in clinical outcome between patients who underwent open compared with minimally invasive procedures. Patient satisfaction rates, however, were higher in the minimally invasive procedure group. The efficacy of BMP-2 was not dependent on which approach was used or the number of spinal levels that were treated.


2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy R. Kuklo ◽  
Michael K. Rosner ◽  
David W. Polly

Object Synthetic bioabsorbable implants have recently been introduced in spinal surgery; consequently, the indications, applications, and results are still evolving. The authors used absorbable interbody spacers (Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Memphis, TN) packed with recombinant bone morphogenetic protein (Infuse; Medtronic Sofamor Danek) for single- and multiple-level transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) procedures over a period of 18 months. This is a consecutive case series in which postoperative computerized tomography (CT) scanning was used to assess fusion status. Methods There were 22 patients (17 men, five women; 39 fusion levels) whose mean age was 41.6 years (range 23–70 years) and in whom the mean follow-up duration was 12.4 months (range 6–18 months). Bridging bone was noted as early as the 3-month postoperative CT scan when obtained; solid arthrodesis was routinely noted between 6 and 12 months in 38 (97.4%) of 39 fusion levels. In patients who underwent repeated CT scanning, the fusion mass appeared to increase with time, whereas the disc space height remained stable. Although the results are early (mean 12-month follow-up duration), there was only one noted asymptomatic delayed union/nonunion at L5–S1 in a two-level TLIF with associated screw breakage. There were no infections or complications related to the cages. Conclusions The bioabsorbable cages appear to be a viable alternative to metal interbody spacers, and may be ideally suited to spinal interbody applications because of their progressive load-bearing properties.


2011 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Hioki ◽  
Kei Miyamoto ◽  
Hideo Hosoe ◽  
Seiichi Sugiyama ◽  
Naoki Suzuki ◽  
...  

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