Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30364718›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of spine surgery2018

Anterior Versus Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion: Perioperative Risk Factors and 30-Day Outcomes.

Pavan S Upadhyayula, Erik I Curtis, John K Yue, Nikki Sidhu, Joseph D Ciacci

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of spine surgery, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. ALIF vs. posterior fusion for lumbar degenerative disease: comparable efficacy but elevated risk of severe complications-a systematic review and meta-analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Comparison of anterolateral versus posterior lumbar fusion techniques in obese patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Long-term comparison of anterior (ALIF) versus transforaminal (TLIF) lumbar interbody fusion: a propensity score-matched register-based study.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2024
    Article
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  10. Lateral decubitus single position anterior-posterior (AP) fusion shows equivalent results to minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion at one-year follow-up.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2022
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Interbody Fusions in the Lumbar Spine: A Review.HSS journal : the musculoskeletal journal of Hospital for Special Surgery · 2020
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Pavan S UpadhyayulaDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California.
Erik I CurtisDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California.
John K YueDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
Nikki SidhuDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California.
Joseph D CiacciDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOperative management of lower back pain often necessitates anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) or transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). Specific pathoanatomic advantages and indications exist for both approaches, and few studies to date have characterized comparative early outcomes.

methodsAdult patients undergoing elective ALIF or TLIF operations were abstracted from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) years 2011-2014. Univariate analyses were performed by surgery cohort for each outcome and adjusted for demographic/clinical variables (age ≥ 65, sex, race, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical classification score, functional status, inpatient/outpatient status, smoking, hypertension, Charlson Comorbidity Index) using multivariable regression. Means, standard errors, mean differences (

resultsOf 8263 subjects (ALIF: 4325, TLIF: 3938), ALIF subjects were younger, less obese, less physically impaired, and had significantly lower rates of hypertension, diabetes, coagulopathy, and previous cardiac surgery. On multivariable analysis, ALIF associated with shorter operative time (

conclusionsComparatively, ALIF patients experienced decreased operative time and decreased incidence of postoperative UTIs and blood transfusions. Anterior lumbar interbody fusion patients were more likely to suffer postoperative pulmonary complications and longer hospital stays. Our data support the notion that both anterior and transforaminal surgical approaches perform comparably in context of 30-day perioperative outcomes.

Indexed as

ACS-NSQIPanterior lumbar interbody fusiondegenerative disc diseaseearly complicationslow back painlumbar spine surgeryoperation timeposterior lumbar interbody fusionsurgical outcomestransforaminal lumbar interbody fusion

Identifiers

PMID30364718
PMCPMC6198636

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.