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ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2025

Comparison of clinical and radiographic outcomes in unilateral transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion: a retrospective analysis of three surgical approaches.

Guanyi Liu, Xuan Wang, Jiawei Zhang, Nanjian Xu, Lu Mao, Jun Qian, Xuyu Liao, Leijie Zhou, Yadan Niu

Abstract readComparative Study
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In one paragraph

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, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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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

9 authors.

Guanyi LiuDepartment of Spine Surgery, Ningbo No.6 Hospital, Ningbo, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0002-3023-5332
Xuan WangNingbo University School of Medicine, Ningbo, 315211, Zhejiang, China.
Jiawei ZhangNingbo University School of Medicine, Ningbo, 315211, Zhejiang, China.
Nanjian XuDepartment of Spine Surgery, Ningbo No.6 Hospital, Ningbo, People's Republic of China. aaron39454190@qq.com.
Lu MaoDepartment of Orthopedics, School of Medicine, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China. bobai0008@163.com.
Jun QianDepartment of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, Anhui, People's Republic of China. qjpaper@sina.cn.
Xuyu LiaoDepartment of Spine Surgery, Ningbo No.6 Hospital, Ningbo, People's Republic of China.
Leijie ZhouDepartment of Spine Surgery, Ningbo No.6 Hospital, Ningbo, People's Republic of China.
Yadan NiuDepartment of Medical Record Statistics, Ningbo No.6 Hospital, 1059 Zhongshan East Road, Ningbo, 315040, Zhejiang, China. nydnbly@163.com.

Funding

Ningbo Public Welfare Research Program Key Project 2023S036
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe primary objective of this study is to evaluate and compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of the combined spinous process-splitting approach with a Wiltse (SPSW) approach, the combined conventional approach with a Wiltse (CW) approach, and the conventional open (CO) approach in unilateral transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF).

methodsThe clinical outcomes were assessed, and intraoperative data and complications were collected. Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) scores for low back pain and leg pain, the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire (JOABPEQ) scores for evaluating functions of the lumbar spine and health-related quality of life, and the modified MacNab standard for assessing satisfaction were analyzed. Radiographic outcomes included disc space height, segmental lordosis, interbody fusion assessment, and the rate of muscle atrophy of the multifidus and the erector spinae muscles.

resultsAmong the three groups, the SPSW group exhibited the shortest operation and drain retention time, lowest intraoperative blood loss, and minimal postoperative blood loss. Notably, the SPSW group displayed the highest level of social life function based on the JOABPEQ, and the highest level of patient satisfaction according to the modified MacNab Criteria, along with the lowest rate of muscle atrophy.

conclusionAll the SPSW, CW, and CO approach TLIF procedures achieved overall satisfactory effects of decompression and fusion for lumbar degenerative diseases. The SPSW approach procedure appears to be associated with the smallest surgical trauma and highest satisfaction because of reducing iatrogenic injury of the paraspinal muscles.

Indexed as

Lumbar VertebraeSpinal FusionAdultAgedFemaleHumansLow Back PainMaleMiddle AgedPatient SatisfactionQuality of LifeRadiographyRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeDegenerative lumbar diseasesLumbar spineMultifidus muscleSpinous process-splitting approachSurgical approachTransforaminal lumbar interbody fusionUnilateral approach

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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.