RESUMEN
No long-term studies exist on the effectiveness of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. This study sought to determine postoperative pain, disability, and fusion status of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion patients after > or = 4 years to establish long-term outcomes. A retrospective analysis of 42 patients with minimum 4-year follow-up was conducted. Patients completed visual analog pain scale (VAS) and Oswestry functional capacity evaluation pre- and postoperatively. Statistically significant improvement was noted in VAS and Oswestry functional capacity evaluation scores. Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion is effective in alleviating intractable back pain over an extended time period. Solid radiographic fusion is unnecessary for clinically successful outcomes.
Asunto(s)
Dolor de Espalda/cirugía , Vértebras Lumbares/cirugía , Dolor Intratable/cirugía , Fusión Vertebral/métodos , Adulto , Anciano , Evaluación de la Discapacidad , Femenino , Estudios de Seguimiento , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Dimensión del Dolor , Estudios Retrospectivos , Fusión Vertebral/efectos adversos , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is commonly performed for degenerative conditions of the cervical spine with good to excellent results. There is controversy over the use of ACDF for patients with axial neck pain alone. A retrospective review of 202 patients from two private practice orthopaedic spine surgeons following ACDF with 39-month mean follow-up was performed. Patients completed pain drawings, pre- and postoperative visual analog pain scales (VAS), Oswestry functional capacity evaluations (OSW), and a postoperative neck disability index. Forty-one patients had axial neck pain alone, and 161 had radicular pain with or without neck pain. There were significant improvements in VAS and OSW scores following surgery for the combined study population as well as the neck pain only and radicular pain groups (p < .01). ACDF can be effectively used for treatment of patients with axial neck pain without radicular symptoms.