Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41004447›Full record

ArticlePloS one2025

Unilateral biportal endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion versus minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion in the treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases: a retrospective multicenter cohort study.

Xiang Chen, Jingbo Xie, Zhihui Zhang, Yi Liu, Liang Shi, Lang Hu

Abstract readMulticenter StudyComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

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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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

6 authors.

Xiang ChenDepartment of Spinal Orthopaedics, Fengcheng People's Hospital, Fengcheng City, Jiangxi Province, China.
Jingbo XieDepartment of Spinal Orthopaedics, Fengcheng People's Hospital, Fengcheng City, Jiangxi Province, China.
Zhihui ZhangDepartment of Spinal Orthopaedics, Fengcheng People's Hospital, Fengcheng City, Jiangxi Province, China.
Yi LiuDepartment of Spinal Orthopaedics, Fengcheng People's Hospital, Fengcheng City, Jiangxi Province, China.
Liang ShiDepartment of Orthopedics, Xiangyang No.1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang City, Hubei Province, China.
Lang HuDepartment of Orthopedics, Xiangyang No.1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang City, Hubei Province, China.ORCID 0009-0006-7539-224X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMinimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (Mis-TLIF) is one of the most commonly used methods for lumbar fusion. However, in recent years, the unilateral biportal endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion (UBE-LIF) has also gradually attracted the attention of spine surgeons. This study aims to compare the perioperative and long-term clinical outcomes of the two procedures for lumbar degenerative diseases (LDD).

methodsWe collected clinical data of patients who had undergone minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (Mis-TLIF) or unilateral biportal endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion (UBE-LIF) for lumbar degenerative diseases (LDD) from January 2019 to December 2022. The primary outcome measure was the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) at 12 months postoperatively. Secondary outcome measures included 12-month visual analog scale (VAS) scores for low back pain (LBP) and leg pain (LP), and postoperative complication rate.

resultsThere were no significant differences in the preoperative VAS scores for LBP, LP, or ODI between the two groups. The VAS score for LBP was significantly lower in the UBE-LIF group than in the Mis-TLIF group 1 week postoperatively (1.4 ± 1.1 vs. 2.1 ± 1.0, P = 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the VAS scores for LBP, LP, and ODI at 1, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. The length of stay was significantly lower in the UBE-LIF than in the Mis-TLIF group (5.2 ± 1.1 vs. 6.3 ± 1.2 days, P < 0.001). The operative time (188.9 ± 19.8 vs. 159.5 ± 11.6 minutes, P < 0.001) of the UBE-LIF group was significantly higher than that of the Mis-TLIF group, while the estimated blood loss (131.0 ± 21.9 vs. 191.7 ± 23.3 ml, P < 0.001) and postoperative drainage volume (123.0 ± 55.4 vs. 191.2 ± 47.5 ml, P < 0.001) were significantly lower in the UBE-LIF than in the Mis-TLIF group. The complication rate was slightly higher in the UBE-LIF than in the Mis-TLIF group; however, the difference was not significant (11.5% vs. 5.0%, P = 0.299).

conclusionUBE-LIF can achieve better perioperative clinical outcomes than Mis-TLIF. However, in the long-term, these two procedures can achieve equivalent clinical efficacy.

Indexed as

EndoscopyIntervertebral Disc DegenerationLumbar VertebraeMinimally Invasive Surgical ProceduresSpinal FusionAgedFemaleHumansLow Back PainMaleMiddle AgedPostoperative ComplicationsRetrospective StudiesTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID41004447
PMCPMC12468841

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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.