Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41936655›Full record

ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2026

Description and assessment of deep ligamentum flavum-preserved modified minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion via unilateral biportal endoscopic assistance: a one-year retrospective cohort study.

Ziwei Fan, Guoliang Chen, Yaozhi He, Chaohui Ding, Dingjun Xu, Yiwei Teng, Qiumin Deng, Jing Wang, Minyu Zhu, Honglin Teng

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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, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Ziwei FanDepartment of Orthopedics (Spine Surgery), First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Guoliang ChenDepartment of Orthopedics (Spine Surgery), First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Yaozhi HeDepartment of Orthopedics (Spine Surgery), First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Chaohui DingDepartment of Orthopedics (Spine Surgery), First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Dingjun XuDepartment of Orthopedics (Spine Surgery), First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Yiwei TengRenji College, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Qiumin DengEastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Shanghai, China.
Jing WangDepartment of Orthopedics (Spine Surgery), First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Minyu ZhuDepartment of Orthopedics (Spine Surgery), First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Honglin TengDepartment of Orthopedics (Spine Surgery), First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China. tenghonglin@wzhospital.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo compare clinical outcomes and safety of minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF), unilateral biportal endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion (ULIF), and modified MIS-TLIF via unilateral biportal endoscopic assistance (UBE-MIS-TLIF) for single-segment Schizas C/D LSS.

methodsA retrospective analysis of 205 patients (UBE-MIS-TLIF: 37, MIS-TLIF: 93, ULIF: 75) evaluated clinical outcomes using visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores, modified MacNab criteria, fusion rates, and complications over 12 months. Surgical parameters and deep ligamentum flavum (LF) preservation were also analyzed.

resultsAll groups demonstrated significant postoperative improvements in VAS [low back pain (LBP)/leg pain], ODI, and JOA scores. MIS-TLIF demonstrated higher VAS scores for incision pain compared to the other two groups. UBE-MIS-TLIF and ULIF exhibited lower LBP VAS and ODI within one week postoperatively. At final follow-up, no significant differences were observed in VAS, ODI, JOA, modified MacNab criteria, complications, intervertebral height index, or fusion rates among these groups. UBE-MIS-TLIF demonstrated significant improvements in intraoperative blood loss, wound drainage volume, CRP level, and postoperative hospital stay compared to MIS-TLIF, while showing no statistically significant differences from ULIF. However, UBE-MIS-TLIF required longer operative time and more fluoroscopy than MIS-TLIF. UBE-MIS-TLIF showed superior performance in preserving the deep LF.

conclusionUBE-MIS-TLIF, MIS-TLIF, and ULIF demonstrated comparable long-term efficacy for single-segment Schizas C/D LSS. As a modified approach, UBE-MIS-TLIF reduced invasiveness versus MIS-TLIF, achieved shorter operative time compared to ULIF, and could preserve the deep LF, offering a viable alternative for severe LSS management.

Indexed as

Deep ligamentum flavum preservationLumbar spinal stenosisMinimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusionModified minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion via unilateral biportal endoscopic assistanceUnilateral biportal endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion

Identifiers

PMID41936655

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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.