CLINICAL AND RADIOLOGICAL OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS TREATED WITH LUMBAR SPINE INSTRUMENTATION WITH PLF: A 5YR FOLLOW UP STUDY

Abstract

Lumbar posterior instrumentation with fusion is a common surgical option for the Introduction: treatment of degenerative disc disease. The fusion options are PLF(Posterolateral Fusion) or Interbody fusion, which include several approaches, each having certain advantages and disadvantages over the other. Although there is clear superiority of interbody fusion over PLF, not every lumbar posterior instrumentation requires an interbody fusion. PLF has been used over several decades and it shows promising results. In this study we aim to demonstrate the clinical and radiological outcomes of lumbar spine fusion with PLF at 5 years follow up. A retrospective, cli Methods: nical and radiographic study was performed on 93 consecutive patients who underwent lumbar posterior instrumentation with PLF over a period of 2 years and followed up for 5 years. Radiographic and clinical functional outcomes were collected and compared at preoperative and at 5 years post operative time point. Parametric and nonparametric tests were used when appropriate with p value < 0.05 being signicant 93 consecutive patients were evaluated with an average age of 44.6 ± 11.6 Results: years, and 57% were female. Mean Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for back pain decreased signicantly by a mean of 6.04 ± 1.5 points from preoperative to 5 years postoperative (p < 0.001). Signicant fusion rates were achi Conclusion: eved and maintained at 5 years follow up after PLF. Clinically, the patients reported a signicant decrease in VAS scores. PLF achieves improvement in functional outcomes and is still an alternate procedure to interbody fusion