European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Trabecular metal spacers as standalone or with pedicle screw augmentation, in posterior lumbar interbody fusion: a prospective, randomized controlled trial.
This prospective randomized comparative trial compared radiological and clinical outcome of Trabecular Metal™ (TM) spacers in PLIF, used as standalone (SA) devices, to TM spacers in PLIF with pedicle screw fixation (PF), in patients with single-level degenerative disc disease (DDD). ⋯ In this study, TM spacers were found to provide a solid construct at more than 6-year follow-up after PLIF for DDD both with and without additional pedicle fixation. The clinical, but also radiological results were not significantly different between both cohorts. Future studies focusing on the differences of SA and PF at L4/5 level should be powered to study differences in post-surgery stability at the long term.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The combined use of unilateral pedicle screw and contralateral facet joint screw fixation in transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion.
This paper is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) using unilateral pedicle screws along with contralateral translaminar facet joint screw (UPS+TFS) fixation in comparison with the method using bilateral pedicle screws fixation (BPS) in degenerative lumbar diseases. ⋯ The clinical efficacy and safety of TLIF with UPS+TFS fixation were comparable to BPS fixation; however, the soft tissue injury and the corresponding operation cost were reduced with unilateral pedicle screw plus translaminar facet screw fixation.