Do current outcomes data support the technique of lumbar interbody fusion?
Over the past 20 years, significant technical advances in spinal surgery have made the concept of interbody fusion a reality. The procedure, whether approached anteriorly or posteriorly, appears to improve patient satisfaction and radiographic fusion rates in selected cases. The lack of a randomized, prospective study and difficulty in comparing outcomes between studies has made it difficult to draw such a conclusion from the literature.
Subach
B R
BR
Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Haid
R W
RW
Rodts
G E
GE
McLaughlin
M R
MR
D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000601:surgery*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000379:methods*