• Pyung Goo Cho, Sang Hyuk Park, Keung Nyun Kim, Yoon Ha, Do Heum Yoon, and Dong Ah Shin.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 120-752, Republic of Korea.
• Eur Spine J. 2015 Apr 1;24(4):783-90.

Study DesignA retrospective reviewPurposeThis study was designed to compare postoperative changes in neural foramen between transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) and posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF).MethodsA retrospective analysis of 67 patients was compared to the change of neural foraminal morphometry of the two techniques. 33 patients (40 levels) had TLIF and 34 patients (39 levels) had PLIF. The two groups had similar demographic profiles. Radiological parameters including anterior and posterior disc height, foraminal height (FH), and segmental Cobb angle (SCA) were measured by sagittally reconstructed computed tomography images before and after surgery. Cage position was designated as contralateral, middle, and ipsilateral in the TLIF group. Surgical results were assessed by Odom criteria, visual analog scale (VAS), and Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores.ResultsThe TLIF and PLIF group showed no bilateral difference in FH. The TLIF group had increased contralateral SCA compared to the ipsilateral side postoperatively. FH differed according to cage position in the TLIF group. When a cage was inserted deeply into the contralateral side, contralateral FH increased significantly. However, when a cage was inserted into the ipsilateral side, contralateral FH decreased significantly. Back pain was significantly lower in the TLIF group at 1 and 6 months than in the PLIF group. However, ODI and Odom scale scores were not different between the groups.ConclusionsTLIF may induce uneven changes in foraminal morphometry. Cage position may be the major determinant of this result.

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