Endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion without general anesthesia: operative and clinical outcomes in 100 consecutive patients with a minimum 1-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVEOpen spinal fusion surgery is often associated with significant blood loss, postoperative pain, and prolonged recovery times. Seeking to minimize surgical and perioperative morbidity, the authors adopted an endoscopic minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) technique performed without general anesthesia. In this report, they present data on the first 100 patients treated with this procedure.METHODSThe authors conducted a retrospective review of the first 100 patients who underwent awake endoscopic MIS-TLIF at a single institution between 2014 and 2017. Surgery was performed while the patient was sedated but without intubation or the use of general anesthetic or narcotic agents. Long-lasting (liposomal) bupivacaine was used for local analgesia. The discectomy and placement of an expandable interbody graft were performed endoscopically, followed by percutaneous pedicle screw implantation. Inclusion criteria for the procedure consisted of diagnosis of degenerative disc disease with grade I or II spondylolisthesis and evidence of spinal stenosis or nerve impingement with intractable symptomatology.RESULTSOf the first 100 patients, 56 were female and 44 were male. Single-level fusion was performed in 84 patients and two-level fusion in 16 patients. The most commonly fused level was L4-5, representing 77% of all fused levels. The mean (± standard deviation) operative time was 84.5 ± 21.7 minutes for one-level fusions and 128.1 ± 48.6 minutes for two-level procedures. The mean intraoperative blood loss was 65.4 ± 76.6 ml for one-level fusions and 74.7 ± 33.6 ml for two-level fusions. The mean length of hospital stay was 1.4 ± 1.0 days. Four deaths occurred in the 100 patients; all four of those patients died from complications unrelated to surgery. In 82% of the surviving patients, 1-year follow-up Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) data were available. The mean preoperative ODI score was 29.6 ± 15.3 and the mean postoperative ODI score was 17.2 ± 16.9, which represents a significant mean reduction in the ODI score of -12.3 using a two-tailed paired t-test (p = 0.000001). In four cases, the surgical plan was revised to include general endotracheal anesthesia intraoperatively and was successfully completed. Other complications included two cases of cage migration, one case of osteomyelitis, and one case of endplate fracture; three of these complications occurred in the first 50 cases.CONCLUSIONSThis series of the first 100 patients to undergo awake endoscopic MIS-TLIF demonstrates outcomes comparable to those reported in our earlier papers. This procedure can provide a safe and efficacious option for lumbar fusion with less morbidity than open surgery. Further refinements in surgical technique and technologies will allow for improved success.

Awake Robotic Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion Under Spinal Anesthesia: A Prospective Study with 1-Year Follow-up.

BACKGROUND: We describe our protocol and outcomes of awake robotic minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) under spinal anesthesia. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study of 10 consecutive patients undergoing awake robotic single-level MIS-TLIF with the Mazor X robot. We prospectively collected patient-reported outcomes (back and leg pain visual analog scale and Oswestry Disability Index) preoperatively at 1-month and 1-year follow-ups and assessed fusion and screw placement accuracy with a 1-year computed tomography (CT) scan. RESULTS: Median age was 61 years (interquartile range [IQR] = 57.7-66). Median body mass index was 27 kg/m2. No intraoperative complications were reported. Most (9/10) patients were discharged home, and 50% discharged on the day of surgery. Median length of stay was 16.5 hours (IQR = 5-35.5). Median follow-up was 12.5 months (IQR = 12-13.5), with 9 patients having at least 12-month follow-up, with CT scans documenting good screw placement (Gertzbein-Robbins grade A) and solid bony fusion. Median preoperative back pain visual analog scale score was 7.8 (IQR = 6.9-8) versus 1.5 (IQR = 0-3.2) at 1-month post operation, P < 0.01, and 0 (IQR = 0-1) at 1-year follow-up, P < 0.01; median preoperative leg pain 8 (IQR = 7.4-8) versus 0 (IQR = 0-1.2) at 1-month post operation, P < 0.01, and 0 (IQR = 0-2) at 1-year follow-up, P < 0.01; median preoperative Oswestry Disability Index 47.5 (IQR = 27.8-57.5) versus 4 (IQR = 0-16) at 1-month postoperation, P < 0.01, and 0 (IQR = 0-7) at 1-year follow-up, P < 0.01. Median preoperative disk height of the index level was 8 mm (IQR = 2.4-9.5) versus 11.4 mm (IQR = 9.2-11.2) postoperatively,P < 0.01. Median preoperative lordosis of the index level was 5 degrees (IQR = 3.4-8.5) versus 10.1 degrees (7.3-12.2) postoperatively, P < 0.01. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed significant improvement in patient-reported outcomes at 1-month and 1-year follow-ups after awake robotic MIS-TLIF, as well as solid bony fusion on CT scans.

Less Opioid Consumption With Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF): A Comparison to Standard Minimally-Invasive TLIF.

OBJECTIVE: The concept of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is relatively new to the neurosurgical field. The introduction of an ERAS protocol in lumbar fusion surgery has aimed to accelerate patient recovery from surgery by reducing in-hospital opioid consumption. METHODS: Patients with 1- or 2-level degenerative lumbar spine disease and who underwent ERAS transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) were retrospectively reviewed. Patients' general demographic data, in-hospital opioid dosage (converted to morphine equivalents), and hospital stay were compared to those who underwent standard minimally-invasive (MIS)-TLIF. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients who received ERAS TLIF (the ERAS group) were compared to a series of 24 patients who received standard MIS-TLIF (the MIS group). The demographic data were similar. The operation time and blood loss significantly favored ERAS TLIF. The average daily opioid consumption was remarkably lower in the ERAS group than the MIS group. Average opioid dosage throughout the entire in-hospital period was also significantly reduced in the ERAS group compared to the MIS group. The average length of hospital stay was substantially shorter in the ERAS group (1.4 ± 1.13 days vs. 4.0±1.98 days, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated a significant decline in the consumption of opioids and in the hospital length of stay for patients undergoing ERAS TLIF for 1- or 2-level degenerative lumbar spine disease.