Objective: This study aims to demonstrate the efficacy of salvage oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) surgery for pseudarthrosis after posterior/transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF/TLIF).
Methods: The study group were patients with leg or back pain induced by pseudarthrosis after PLIF/TLIF. These patients underwent salvage OLIF surgeries in our institutions between July 2015 and Oct 2019. We retrospectively evaluated their clinical and radiographic outcomes.
Results: Seven consecutive patients (all male; mean age 68.4 ± 9.3 years, range 53-81 years) were included in this study. There was no intraoperative complications in all cases. Six of 7 patients achieved bone union (at average 33.4 months follow-up) and had a successful postoperative course. Only 1 patient failed to gain bony fusion and required additional revision surgery due to progression of sagittal and coronal malalignment at 18 months after salvage OLIF surgery.
Conclusions: The salvage OLIF approach was useful option for pseudarthrosis after PLIF/TLIF. It enabled us to build a rigid anterior support, allowed for extensive curettage of intervertebral scar tissue, and reduced the rate of the complications associated with dealing with posterior scar tissue.
Keywords: Nonunion; OLIF; Oblique lumbar interbody fusion; Pseudarthrosis; Salvage.
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