The researchers investigated the clinical and radiologic outcomes for 107 patients treated with unilateral extraforaminal lumbar interbody fusion for degenerative lumbar disorders. The procedure aims to achieve fusion while preserving function.
The researchers found:
1. There were complications in 4 percent of the patients after a 31 month follow-up.
2. Sixteen patients underwent investigation for transient radicular pain.
3. Oswestry Disability Index and Visual Analogue Scale scores for back and leg pain showed significant improvement among the patients who underwent ELIF.
4. Seventy percent of the patients returned to work and most reported a short hospital stay.
5. Almost all — 97 percent of the patients — achieved fusion.
“The unilateral ELIF fusion technique demonstrates encouraging clinical and radiologic midterm outcome that for some indications is comparable with established fusion techniques,” concluded the study authors.
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