title: Comparative study of laparoscopic L5-S1 fusion versus open mini-ALIF, with a minimum 2-year follow-up.
abstract: Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) is a widely accepted tool for management of painful degenerative disc disease. Recently, the modern laparoscopic surgical technique has been combined with ALIF procedure, with good early postoperative results being reported. However, the benefit of laparoscopic fusion is poorly defined compared with its open counterpart. This study aimed to compare perioperative parameters and minimum 2-year follow-up outcome for laparoscopic and open anterior surgical approach for L5-S1 fusion. The data of 54 consecutive patients who underwent anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) of L5-S1 from 1997 to 1999 were collected prospectively. More than 2-years' follow-up data were available for 47 of these patients. In all cases, carbon cage and autologous bone graft were used for fusion. Twenty-five patients underwent a laparoscopic procedure and 22 an open mini-ALIF. Three laparoscopic procedures were converted to open ones. For perioperative parameters only, the operative time was statistically different (P=0.001), while length of postoperative hospital stay and blood loss were not. The incidence of operative complications was three in the laparoscopic group and two in the open mini-ALIF group. After a follow-up period of at least 2 years, the two groups showed no statistical difference in pain, measured by visual analog scale, in the Oswestry Disability Index or in the Patient Satisfaction Index. The fusion rate was 91% in both groups. The laparoscopic ALIF for L5-S1 showed similar clinical and radiological outcome when compared with open mini-ALIF, but significant advantages were not identified, despite its technical difficulty.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery and General Surgery, Wooridul Spine Hospital, 47-4 Chungdam-dong Kangnam-gu, 135-100 Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Ki
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Sang Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sang Rak
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Dong-Yun
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jee Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Ki-Se
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Ho Yeon
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016025:Bone Transplantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016268:Internal Fixators / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000601:surgery*; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D019106:Postoperative Hemorrhage; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012447:Sacrum / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016896:Treatment Outcome