title: Current Status of Lumbar Interbody Fusion for Degenerative Spondylolisthesis.
abstract: Instrumented lumbar fusion can provide immediate stability and assist in satisfactory arthrodesis in patients who have pain or instability of the lumbar spine. Lumbar adjunctive fusion with decompression is often a good procedure for surgical management of degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS). Among various lumbar fusion techniques, lumbar interbody fusion (LIF) has an advantage in that it maintains favorable lumbar alignment and provides successful fusion with the added effect of indirect decompression. This technique has been widely used and represents an advancement in spinal instrumentation, although the rationale and optimal type of LIF for DS remains controversial. We evaluated the current status and role of LIF in DS treatment, mainly as a means to augment instrumentation. We addressed the basic concept of LIF, its indications, and various types including minimally invasive techniques. It also has acceptable biomechanical features, and offers reconstruction with ideal lumbar alignment. Postsurgical adverse events related to each LIF technique are also addressed.
authors.affiliation: Spinal Disorders Center, Fujieda Heisei Memorial Hospital.
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Junya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hanakita
authors.forename: Yasufumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohtake
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Funakoshi
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Oichi
authors.forename: Taigo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawaoka
authors.forename: Mizuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D013123:Spinal Fusion; D013168:Spondylolisthesis / Q000601:surgery*