Background:

Degenerative lumbar diseases are common in the aging population, and is one of the most frequent causes of disability. Lumbar fusion is an effective surgical procedure for alleviating pain and improving function. A variety of fusion techniques applied where necessary are available and the optimal method remains controversial. We performed a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the clinical efficacy of oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) in the treatment of degenerative lumbar diseases.

Methods:

This systematic review protocol will be reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 Statement.Following databases will be searched: PubMed, web of science, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journals Database, Wanfang data, and Chinese BioMedicine Literature Database. Only randomized controlled trials comparing OLIF and TLIF for treating degenerative lumbar diseases will be included. The meta-analysis will be performed with Review Manager Version 5.4 software (The Cochrane Collaboration, Copenhagen, Denmark).

Results:

The results of this systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Conclusion:

This study will elucidate the clinical outcomes of OLIF compared with TLIF in treating degenerative lumbar diseases.