Minimally Invasive Oblique Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion Combined with Anterolateral Screw Fixation for Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease

OBJECTIVE: The purposes of the present study were to introduce an indirect decompression using oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusion combined with anterolateral screw fixation (OLIF-AF) for the treatment of lumbar degenerative disc disease and examine the clinical efficacy and radiographic outcomes. METHODS: A total of 65 patients had undergone single-level OLIF-AF at L2-L5 from December 2017 to August 2018. The cross-sectional area of the thecal sac was evaluated using magnetic resonance imaging. The disk height, foraminal height (FH), and degree of upper vertebral slippage were evaluated using computed tomography. The visual analog scale score and Oswestry disability index were recorded pre- and postoperatively. RESULTS: The visual analog scale scores and Oswestry disability index had significantly improved after surgery (P < 0.001). At 3 days postoperatively, the cross-sectional area had improved from 93.2 +/- 14.4 mm(2) to 124.2 +/- 7.5 mm(2) (P< 0.001), the disk height had increased from 9.9 +/- 1.7 mm to 12.7 +/- 1.0 mm (P < 0.001), the left FH had increased from 16.6 +/- 2.0 mm to 19.6 +/- 2.0 mm (P < 0.001). In contrast, the right FH had increased from 16.7 +/- 2.1 mm to 19.9 +/- 2.0 mm (P < 0.001), and the degree of upper vertebral vertebral slippage had decreased from 14.2% +/- 3.1% to 4.6% +/- 2.8% (P < 0.001), respectively. At the 12-month follow-up examination, these parameters showed no statistically significant differences compared with the values at 3 days postoperatively (P> 0.05). Adverse events were observed in 15 patients (23.1%) patients and included pain at the iliac bone donor site in 1 (1.5%), left thigh pain/ numbness in 2 (3.1%), quadriceps weakness in 2 (3.1%), psoas weakness in 3 (4.6%), intraoperative endplate injury in 2 (3.1%) and cage subsidence in 5 (7.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results have shown that OLIF-AF surgery is a relatively safe and effective surgical option for LDDD at L2-L5. Cage subsidence was the most common operative complication.