Authors: Burak M Ozgur Kevin Yoo Gerardo Rodriguez William R Taylor
Publish Date: 2005/09/08
Volume: 14, Issue: 9, Pages: 887-894
Abstract
Minimal access surgical techniques have been described for diskectomy and laminectomy procedures performed through tubular exposures Tubular exposures however restrain visibility to a fixed diameter and require coaxial instrument manipulation An independent blade retractor system has been developed to overcome the obstacles of working through a tube Decompression and circumferential fusion can be accomplished through this minimal access exposure via a combination of laminectomy and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion TLIF coupled with minimally invasive pedicle screw fixation Herein we describe a minimallyinvasive technique for TLIF exposure Illustrations intraoperative photographs and fluoroscopic images supplement this technique We found that the described minimallyinvasive system provides comparable exposure to the traditionalopen techniques with the benefits of minimallyinvasive techniques Additionally it does not have the added constraints of a tubular system We were able to perform TLIFs without any additional complications Minimal access decompression and TLIF can be performed safely and effectively using this minimallyinvasive system Besides the retractor system no additional specialized instruments are required An operative microscope is not required in fact all our cases were performed using operative loupes The light attachment provides superb visbility without the discomfort of having to wear a headlight Thus far we have found no added risks or complications using this system We are currently working on longterm analysis and followup to further evaluate this system’s efficacy
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