Introduction: Back pain can greatly affect a person’s life, especially for those with spinal disorders. One treatment option is lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF), a minimally invasive surgery. However, it’s unclear how well stand-alone LLIF works in the long run. A recent study investigated this, and its findings shed light on the subject. Let’s explore what the study discovered.
The Study: Researchers examined 126 patients who had stand-alone LLIF surgery between 2009 and 2017. They looked at patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) such as the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), EuroQOL-5D (EQ-5D), and visual analog score (VAS). The patients’ PROMs were assessed at different time points: 6 weeks, 1 year, 2 years, and 5 years after surgery.
Key Findings: The study found positive results regarding the long-term success of stand-alone LLIF. The ODI scores, which measure disability, showed lasting improvement at the 5-year follow-up. Patients experienced a significant decrease in scores from 46.9 to 38.5. The EQ-5D, which measures overall health and well-being, also showed similar lasting improvement over the 5-year period, increasing from 0.48 to 0.65. Additionally, the VAS scores, which assess pain levels, significantly improved after surgery and remained better up to the 2-year follow-up.
Conclusion: This study suggests that stand-alone LLIF can be an effective treatment for lumbar spinal disorders. Patients experienced significant and lasting improvements in disability, overall health, and pain levels. However, it’s important to note that the VAS scores did not continue to improve significantly after 2 years. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and assess the long-term durability of stand-alone LLIF beyond 5 years.
Implications: The study’s findings provide important information for patients and healthcare professionals considering stand-alone LLIF as a treatment option. The sustained improvements observed in disability, overall health, and pain levels offer hope for individuals with lumbar spinal disorders. Continued research in this field will further enhance our understanding and help improve the quality of life for those affected by back pain and spinal conditions.
The complete study can be found in the journal: Neurosurgery.
Citation:
Agarwal, Nitin MD‡; White, Michael D. MD,§; Roy, Souvik BS; Ozpinar, Alp MD; Alan, Nima MD; Lavadi, Raj Swaroop MBBS‡; Okonkwo, David O. MD, PhD; Hamilton, D. Kojo MD; Kanter, Adam S. MD*,‖. Long-Term Durability of Stand-Alone Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion. Neurosurgery 93(1):p 60-65, July 2023. | DOI: 10.1227/neu.0000000000002371
*Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;
‡Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA;
§Department of Neurological Surgery, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, USA;
‖Hoag Specialty Clinic, Hoag Neurosciences Institute, Newport Beach, California, USA
