Comparison of the therapeutic effects of ulif and plif in the treatment of lumbar spondylolisthesis

  • Shiyuan Liu Affiliated Hospital of Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang 261031, China
  • Changrong Song Shandong Province Qianfoshan Hospital, Jinan 250014, China
  • Hengtao Tang First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China
  • Lei Zhang Shandong Province Qianfoshan Hospital, Jinan 250014, China
Keywords: lumbar spondylolisthesis; endoscopic lumber fusion; unilateral biportal endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion; posterior lumbar interbody fusion 3D printed fusion cage
Article ID: 1436

Abstract

Purpose: To compare the therapeutic effects of unilateral biportal endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion (ULIF) and posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) in the treatment of lumbar spondylolisthesis. Method: To retrospectively analyze the clinical data of 66 patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis in Qianfoshan Hospital of Shandong Province, 31 cases were treated with ULIF (ULIF group) and 35 cases were treated with PLIF (PLIF group). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, hospitalization days, postoperative complications, low-back pain vas scores, and odi scores, were all measured. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, hospitalization days, postoperative complications, low-back pain vas scores, and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were compared between the two groups. Results: The operation time in the ULIF group was longer than that in the PLIF group, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). There were statistically significant differences in intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, and hospital stay (p < 0.05). There were 1case of cerebrospinal fluid leakage in the ULIF group, and 1 cases of infection in the PLIF group. No other complications occurred. The difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Patients in both groups were followed for 6 months. Conclusion: For patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis, ULIF group can achieve similar efficacy to PLIF group. They are similar in terms of pain relief and improvement in functional disability. ULIF has less intraoperative and postoperative bleeding and shorter hospitalization days, lower infection rate and less damage to muscle tissue. However, ULIF takes a long time, has a long learning curve and requires expensive equipment, Surgeons and patients need to undergo more X-ray fluoroscopy sessions.

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Published
2025-03-24
How to Cite
Liu, S., Song, C., Tang, H., & Zhang, L. (2025). Comparison of the therapeutic effects of ulif and plif in the treatment of lumbar spondylolisthesis. Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, 22(5), 1436. https://doi.org/10.62617/mcb1436
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Article