Treatment of lumbar disc herniation by modified transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion with a pedicle screw system
Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of modified transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion in patients with lumbar disc herniation.
Methods: Forty-six cases of lumbar disc herniation were treated by modified transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. There were 32 males and 14 females with a mean age of 47 years old (range: 27 - 65). The mean course of disease was 7.5 years (range: 4 - 18). Eighteen cases were of single-level lumbar disc herniation, including L3/4 (n = 5), L4/5 (n = 8) and L5/S1 (n = 5). There were 28 cases with lumbar degenerative diseases at other levels. Preoperatively, the score of visual analogue scale (VAS) was 8.9 ± 1.3 and the score of Oswestry disability index (ODI) was 57.3 ± 5.2. All patients received a normal conservative treatment for at least 3 months with no therapeutic effect at pre-operation.
Results: Forty-six cases had an average follow-up of 20 months (range: 12 - 20). The operative duration was an average of 160 minutes (range: 120 - 180). And the average volume of intra-operative blood loss was 550 ml (range: 400 - 800). There was no severe complication. The symptoms became stable after three months. At 3 months postoperatively, the score of VAS was 2.0 ± 0.4 and the score of ODI 15.2 ± 3.4. And there were significant differences between preoperative and postoperative values (P < 0.05). The improvement rates of postoperative VAS and ODI were (80.1 ± 4.7)% and (73.6 ± 2.8)% respectively. All patients achieved lumbar interbody bone fusion at 12 months post-operation with a fusion rate of 100%. For the therapeutic effect, 34 cases were regarded as excellent, 8 good and 4 fair with an excellent/good rate of 91.3%. All patients began to walk with orthosis after 3 days and resumed their jobs and normal lives after 3 months.
Conclusions: Modified transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion is effective for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation. Making a detailed operative plan on the basis of preoperative images and symptoms is essential.