Research presented at the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Annual Forum in 2018 compares static and expandable interbody devices for minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion.
Study authors conducted a retrospective examination of 60 patients who underwent MIS TLIF; 30 patients received an expandable interbody cage and 30 patients received static interbody cages. The patients were followed for six months and the authors found:
1. Both cages were associated with significant lumbar lordosis, foraminal height and disc height increases.
2. Patients who received the expandable device also reported increase in segmental lordosis.
3. Based on radiographic measures, the patients with expandable devices had significantly more improvement in disc height and foraminal height at the six month follow-up.
4. All patients reported significant improvements Oswestry Disablity Index and Visual Analog Scale scores at six months after surgery.
5. Study authors concluded, "Although use of expandable interbody device led to greater increases in DH, this may not correlate with superior patient outcomes. As such, patients undergoing MIS TLIF can expect similar improvements in [patient-reported outcomes], whether receiving static or expandable interbody device."