Purpose:

Previous studies have demonstrated that minimally invasive (MI) transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) is comparable to the open approach in terms of efficacy and safety. However, few comparative studies of surgical procedures in patients with obesity show that they may react differently to open-TLIF (O-TLIF) and MI-LTIF approaches.

Patients and methods:

The main indicators were complications, visual analog scale (VAS) score, and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score, and secondary indicators were operative time, blood loss, and hospital stay.

Results:

No significant differences in the VAS and ODI scores for back pain at the last follow-up and wound infection rates were observed between the two groups. Dural tear incidence and complication rate were significantly lower in the MI-TLIF group than that in the O-TLIF group (P = 0.002 and 0.001, respectively). No significant difference in operative time was found between the two groups. There was less blood loss and shorter hospital stay (P = 0.001 and 0.002, respectively) in the MI-TLIF group than that in the O-TLIF group.

Conclusion:

Compared with O-TLIF, MI-TLIF is an effective and safe surgical option for patients with obesity, which resulted in similar improvements in pain and functional disability, as well as a lower complication rate.