Comparison of Clinical Efficacy between Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic TLIF and Modified Minimally Invasive TLIF for Lumbar Degenerative Disease
Wu Tianliang
Xia Taibao
Yan Zheng
Geng Ying
Zhao Guangchao
Abstract：Objective This study aimed to compare the clinical efficacy of unilateral biportal endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion(UBE-TLIF)and modified minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion(modified MIS-TLIF)in treating single-level lumbar degenerative disease(LDD).Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 70 patients with single-level lumbar degenerative disease who were admitted to Wuhu Second People's Hospital between March 2021 and January 2024.According to the repair technique,70 patients were assigned to the tow groups.The UBE-TLIF group comprised 35 patients(19 males and 16 females),aged 58～79 years,with a mean age of(67.17±7.76)years.The modified MIS-TLIF group also comprised 35 patients(22 males and 13 females),aged 48～77 years,with a mean age of(66.97±6.56)years.The following parameters were compared between the two groups:operative time,intraoperative blood loss,drainage volume,length of hospital stay,time to ambulation after surgery,visual analogue scale(VAS)scores for low back pain and leg pain,Oswestry disability index(ODI),excellent and good rate according to the modified MacNab criteria,interbody fusion rate,and incidence of complications.Results Postoperative follow-up was ≥12 months.The UBE-TLIF group had longer operative time(P＜0.001)but better intraoperative blood loss,postoperative drainage volume,time to ambulation,and hospital stay(P＜0.001).At 3 weeks postoperatively,VAS scores in the UBE-TLIF group were lower than those in the modified MIS-TLIF group(P＜0.001),while at 6 weeks,6 months,and final follow-up,no significant differences were observed(P＞0.05).ODI scores showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups at 3 weeks,6 weeks,6 months,and final follow-up(P＞0.05).At 6 months postoperatively,the excellent and good rate in the UBE-TLIF group(80.00％)was slightly lower than that in the modified MIS-TLIF group(85.71％,P＞0.05).At 1 year postoperatively,the interbody fusion rate in the UBE-TLIF group(88.57％)was slightly higher than that in the modified MIS-TLIF group(85.71％,P＞0.05).The complication rates were 14.3％(5/35)in the UBE-TLIF group and 20％(7/35)in the modified MIS-TLIF group,with no statistically significant difference between the groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion Both UBE-TLIF and modified MIS-TLIF can achieve good clinical outcomes in treating single-level lumbar degenerative disease.UBE-TLIF is associated with less intraoperative blood loss and better early improvement of low back and leg pain.
Keywords：lumbar degenerative diseaseunilateral biportal endoscopetransforaminal lumbar invasive fusionminimally invasive
Publication Date：2025-11-25
Online Publishing Date：2025-12-09(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 961-966 )