ArticleSpine surgery and related research2021
Unintentional Fusion in Preserved Facet Joints without Bone Grafting after Percutaneous Endoscopic Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion.
Article in Spine surgery and related research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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3 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- [Spontaneous facet joint fusion and stability assessment following isolated posterior internal fixation for lumbar burst fractures].Zhongguo xiu fu chong jian wai ke za zhi = Zhongguo xiufu chongjian waike zazhi = Chinese journal of reparative and reconstructive surgery · 2026Article
- Comparative Study between Full-Endoscopic Transforaminal Approach Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TF-LIF) Using PETLIF System and Minimally Invasive TLIF for Degenerative Lumbar Spine Disorders.Spine surgery and related research · 2025Article
- Residual motion of different posterior instrumentation and interbody fusion constructs.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 · 2023Article
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7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
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Abstract
introductionA percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (PETLIF) procedure has been previously developed. During postoperative follow-up, in some patients, bone fusion occurred between opened facet joints, despite not having bone grafting in the facet joints. Here, we investigated facet fusion's frequency and tendencies following PETLIF.
methodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on a prospectively collected, nonrandomized series of patients. Forty-two patients (6 males and 36 females, average age: 69.9 years) who underwent single-level PETLIF at our hospital from February 2016 to March 2019 were included in this study. Patients were assessed with lumbar X-ray images and computed tomography (CT) prior to, immediately after, and 1 year after surgery.
resultsPseudarthrosis was not observed in any patients, and facet fusion was observed in 26 of 42 post-PETLIF patients (61.9%) by CT 1 year postoperatively. The average interfacet distance increased from 1.3 mm preoperatively to 4.5 mm postoperatively, and facet fusion was observed under the opened conditions of 3.8 mm at 1 year. Segmental lordotic angle of the fusion segment in the lumbar X-ray images was significantly larger in the facet fusion subgroup prior to surgery, immediately following surgery, and 1 year after surgery compared to the facet non-fusion group (p=0.02, p<0.01, p=0.01, respectively). There were no significant differences in patient background, correction loss of segmental lordosis, interfacet distance, or clinical score between the facet fusion and facet non-fusion subgroups.
conclusionsFacet fusion was achieved over time within the facet joints that were opened through indirect decompression after PETLIF. We hypothesized that the preserved facet joints potentially became the base bed for spontaneous bone fusion due to the preserved facet joint capsule and surrounding soft tissue, which maintained cranio-caudal facet traffic and blood circulation in the facet joints. The complete preservation of the facet joints was a key advantage of minimally invasive lumbar interbody fusion procedures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.
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