Table 1.
Baseline demographic and disease-specific information on n=71 patients with degenerative disc disease undergoing standard TLIF surgery, or TLIF with release of the anterior longitudinal ligament (ALL) between L4 and S1 (transforaminal anterior release = TFAR).
| TFAR | Standard TLIF | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, in y | 64.2 (10.0) | 68.4 (10.8) | .074 |
| Sex | .455 | ||
| Female | 11 (61.1%) | 27 (50.9%) | |
| Male | 7 (38.9%) | 26 (49.1%) | |
| Body mass index, in kg/m2 | 28.3 (5.7) | 27.2 (6.3) | .707 |
| Smoking status | .724 | ||
| Nonsmoker | 14 (77.8%) | 39 (73.6%) | |
| Smoker | 4 (22.2%) | 14 (26.4%) | |
| ASA grade | .263 | ||
| I – no morbidity | 1 (5.6%) | 1 (1.9%) | |
| II – mild/moderate | 8 (44.4%) | 30 (56.6%) | |
| III – severe | 8 (44.4%) | 22 (41.5%) | |
| IV – life threatening | 1 (5.6%) | −(0.0%) | |
| Work status | .607 | ||
| Not working (invalidity) | 1 (5.6%) | 2 (3.8%) | |
| Not working (retired) | 10 (55.6%) | 37 (69.8%) | |
| Not working (sick leave) | 2 (11.1%) | 2 (3.8%) | |
| Working, full job | 5 (27.8%) | 9 (17.0%) | |
| Working, partial job | −(0.0%) | 2 (3.8%) | |
| Missing data | −(0.0%) | 1 (1.9%) | |
| Main pathology | .133 | ||
| Spinal stenosis | 4 (22.2%) | 19 (35.9%) | |
| Spondylolisthesis | 2 (11.1%) | 13 (24.5%) | |
| Deformity | 12 (66.7%) | 21 (39.6%) | |
| Preoperative symptoms | |||
| Axial low back pain | 18 (100%) | 52 (98.1%) | .557 |
| Peripheral radiating pain | 18 (100%) | 52 (98.1%) | .557 |
| Motor deficit | 2 (11.1%) | 1 (1.9%) | .093 |
| Sensory deficit / dysesthesia | 17 (94.4%) | 49 (92.5%) | .775 |
| Bowel/bladder dysfunction | −(0.0%) | 1 (1.9%) | .557 |
| Functional status | .775 | ||
| Excellent | −(0.0%) | −(0.0%) | |
| Good | −(0.0%) | −(0.0%) | |
| Fair | 1 (5.6%) | 4 (7.6%) | |
| Poor | 17 (94.4%) | 49 (92.5%) | |
| Pain medication | |||
| NSAID/Paracetamol (WHO I) | 10 (55.6%) | 29 (54.7%) | .951 |
| Weak opioids (WHO II) | 1 (5.6%) | 4 (7.5%) | .775 |
| Strong opiates (WHO III) | 6 (33.3%) | 13 (24.5%) | .466 |
| Admission type | .775 | ||
| Elective | 17 (94.4%) | 49 (92.5%) | |
| Emergency | 1 (5.6%) | 4 (7.5%) | |
| Repeat surgery | .055 | ||
| No | 11 (61.1%) | 44 (83.0%) | |
| Yes | 7 (38.9%) | 9 (17.0%) | |
| Previous surgeries, same segment | 1.4 (1.2) | 2.0 (1.4) | .707 |
| Level of TLIF | .004 | ||
| L4/5 | 6 (33.3%) | 38 (71.7%) | |
| L5/S1 | 12 (66.7%) | 15 (28.3%) | |
| Total | n=18 (100%) | n=53 (100%) |
Data is presented as count (percent) or mean (standard deviation).