Researchers of the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia recently published a study in The Spine Journal examining minimally invasive techniques in comparison to open techniques for posterior lumbar instrumentation and fusion after open anterior lumbar interbody fusion. The study set out to examine in both open and minimally invasive surgery the resulting surgery length, intraoperative fluoroscopy time, blood loss, length of postoperative hospital stay, malpositioned instrumentation on postoperative imaging and postoperative complications. The study concluded that the patients undergoing minimally invasive techniques demonstrated less need for transfusion during the perioperative time, less blood loss and a shorter hospital stay than patients undergoing open surgery. The other areas measured were found to have similar outcomes in both groups.
The authors of the study include Alexander Vaccaro, MD, PhD; Kristen Radcliff, MD; Jeffrey Rihn, MD; Anthony Yu, MD; Christopher Kepler, MD, MBA; Jordan Gruskay, BA; Lawrence Delasotta, MD; D. Greg Anderson MD; and Alan S. Hillbrand, MD.
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