Effect of Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic versus Traditional Uniportal Endoscopic Assisted Spinal Fusion on Postoperative Lumbar Stability and Efficacy in Patients with Degenerative Lumbar Disease
ZHANG Yong
WU Gang
MAO Xudong
Abstract：Objective To observe the efficacy of unilateral biportal endoscopic technique(UBET)compared with traditional uniportal endoscopic technique(SET)in assisting spinal fusion for degenerative lumbar diseases.Methods A prospective study was conducted on 268 patients with degenerative lumbar diseases admitted to Ziyang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from April 2020 to April 2023.They were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group using a random number table,with 134 patients in each group.The control group underwent traditional SET-assisted spinal fusion,while the observation group received UBET-assisted spinal fusion.The two groups were compared in terms of operative time,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative drainage volume,hospital stay,Visual Analog Scale(VAS)score,Japanese Orthopaedic Association(JOA)score,Oswestry Disability Index(ODI)score at different time points,serum inflammatory factor levels(tumor necrosis factor-α,interleukin-6,interleukin-4),imaging parameters(intervertebral space height,lumbar lordosis angle,foraminal area),Bridwell interbody fusion grade at 6 months postoperatively,and the incidence of cage subsidence and endplate injury during a two-year follow-up.Results The observation group had shorter operative time and hospital stay than the control group(P<0.05),and less intraoperative blood loss and postoperative drainage volume(P<0.05).At 1 week,1 month,3 months,and 6 months postoperatively,the observation group had lower VAS and ODI scores but higher JOA scores than the control group(P<0.05).At 1 month,3 months,and 6 months postoperatively,the observation group showed significantly greater intervertebral space height,lumbar lordosis angle,and foraminal area than the control group(P<0.05).At 6 months postoperatively,the Bridwell interbody fusion grade in the observation group was significantly better than that in the control group(P<0.05),with a Grade I fusion rate of 89.55%,higher than 74.63%in the control group(χ2=10.152,P<0.05).During the two-year follow-up,the incidences of cage subsidence and endplate injury in the observation group were lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion UBET-assisted spinal fusion is effective and safe in treating degenerative lumbar diseases.It shortens operative time,reduces intraoperative blood loss,promotes postoperative functional recovery,alleviates inflammatory responses,and,due to its superior visualization and operational space,achieves a higher interbody fusion rate and better mid-to long-term lumbar stability.
Keywords：degenerative lumbar diseaseunilateral biportal endoscopic techniqueuniportal endoscopic techniquespinal fusionlumbar stability
Publication Date：2026-01-20
Online Publishing Date：2026-01-24(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 123-128 )