ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2024
Long-term comparison of anterior (ALIF) versus transforaminal (TLIF) lumbar interbody fusion: a propensity score-matched register-based study.
Article in 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. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Successful execution of preoperative lumbar alignment planning: reliability of the L5-S1 anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF).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 · 2026Article
- A Spine Surgeon's Learning Curve With the Minimally Invasive L5 to S1 Lateral ALIF Surgical Approach: Perioperative Outcomes and Technical Considerations.International journal of spine surgery · 2026Article
- Clinical and spinopelvic outcomes of Transforaminal versus Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion at L5-S1: a short-term ambispective cohort study.Brain & spine · 2026Article
- CT Evaluation of Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Comprehensive Review with an Integrated Framework for Principle-Based Interpretation.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Hospitalizations and surgical management of lumbar disc degeneration in Italy: a 22-Year nationwide retrospective study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Article
- Does Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion Reduce Mechanical Complication and Pseudarthrosis Rate at the Lumbosacral Junction in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery in Comparison to Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion?International journal of spine surgery · 2025Article
- Time Course of Functional Recovery Following Single-Level Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion with and Without Posterior Instrumentation: A Retrospective Single-Institution Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Minimally Invasive L5-S1 Anterior TLIF Cage Placement in Lateral ALIF Exposure as a Bailout Option for Low Iliocaval Junctions: Report of Four Cases.Asian journal of neurosurgery · 2025Article
- Total knee arthroplasty in patients with degenerative spine disease: does spinal fusion affect outcomes? A matched comparative analysis using a national database.Knee surgery & related research · 2025Article
- Short- and Mid-Term Outcomes Following ALIF and TLIF in L5-S1 Isthmic Spondylolisthesis Patients.International journal of spine surgery · 2025Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeAnterior (ALIF) and transforaminal (TLIF) lumbar interbody fusion have shown similar clinical outcomes at short- and medium-term follow-ups. Possible advantages of ALIF in the long run could be better disc height and lumbar lordosis and reduced risk of adjacent segment disease. We aimed to study if ALIF could be associated with superior clinical outcomes than TLIF at long-term follow-up.
methodsWe analysed 535 patients treated with ALIF or TLIF of the L5-S1 spinal segment between 2007 and 2017 who completed long-term follow-up in a national spine registry database (NORspine). We defined treatment success after surgery as at least 30% improvement in Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) at long-term follow-up. Patients treated with ALIF and TLIF and who responded at long term were balanced by propensity score matching. The proportions of successfully treated patients within each group were compared by numbers and percentages with corresponding relative risk.
resultsThe mean (95%CI) age of the total study population was 50 (49-51) years, and 264 (49%) were females. The mean (95%CI) preoperative ODI score was 40 (39-42), and 174 (33%) had previous spine surgery. Propensity score matching left 120 patients in each treatment group. At a median (95%CI) of 92 (88-97) months after surgery, we found no difference in proportions successfully treated patients with ALIF versus TLIF (68 (58%) versus 77 (65%), RR (95%CI) = 0.88 (0.72 to1.08); p = 0.237).
conclusionsThis propensity score-matched national spine register study of patients treated with ALIF versus TLIF of the lumbosacral junction found no differences in proportions of successfully treated patients at long-term follow-up. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE I: Diagnostic: individual cross-sectional studies with the consistently applied reference standard and blinding.
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