title: Treatment of postdiscectomy low back pain by percutaneous posterior lumbar interbody fusion versus open posterior lumbar fusion with pedicle screws.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Up to a fifth of the patients who had discectomy undergo spinal fusion because of disabling low back pain.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare the clinical outcome of percutaneous posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PPLIF) to that of open posterior lumbar fusion (PLF).
  
  
  METHODS
  Two surgical methods that were tried in sequence at a university affiliated hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty patients with disabling postdiscectomy low back pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pain intensity was scored on a visual analog scale (VAS) and the degree of disability was scored by the Oswestry disability index (ODI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty patients were treated by PPLIF. The outcome, after 24 months or more, was compared retrospectively with that of 30 consecutive suitable subjects who had been treated by PLF with pedicle screw fixation by the same surgeons for the same indication.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the PPLIF group, as compared with PLF group, mean operating time was shorter, blood loss was negligible, and mean hospital time was halved. By the last follow-up visit (greater than or equal to 2 years), pain and disability in PLF group had diminished by 31.9% and 20.1%, respectively. The corresponding figures in PPLIF group were 55.4% and 42.7%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the context of postdiscectomy low back pain, PPLIF has proven, thus far, to be a safe procedure with improved clinical results.
authors.affiliation: Sapir Medical Center, 57 Tchernichowski, Kfar-Saba 44281, Israel.
authors.forename: Reuven
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gepstein
authors.forename: Shay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shabat
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reichel
authors.forename: Ilia
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pikarsky
authors.forename: Yoram
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Folman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001863:Bone Screws; D017586:Diskectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000601:surgery*; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*