Objective To explore clinical efficacy of minimally invasive surgery transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MISTLIF) in the treatment of upper lumbar disc herniation.
Methods Retrospective analysis was performed for clinical data of 12 patients with high lumbar disc herniation. The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, and lumbar Oswestry disability index (ODI) were recorded. The clinical efficacy was evaluated by modified MacNab efficacy assessment criteria at the 12-month follow-up.
Results All 12 patients successfully underwent MISTLIF, with operating time of (118.33±15.86) min, intraoperative blood loss of (114.17±39.42) mL, and postoperative drainage volume of (103.33±30.85) mL. All patients were followed up for more than 12 months, with follow-up time of (13.50±1.31) months. One patient had intraoperative endplate injury, slight vertebral space collapse was observed during the 3-month follow-up, and intervertebral bone fusion was achieved during the 12-month follow-up. One patient had numbness and pain in front of the thigh after surgery, which was improved after 6 months. Compared with preoperation, VAS scores and ODI of 12 patients were significantly decreased in each period after operation (P < 0.05).
Conclusion Application of MISTLIF in treatment of upper lumbar intervertebral disc herniation has a satisfactory clinical effect and has the advantages of safety, effectiveness, and less trauma.