Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Spine bilateral fixation is widely used in the treatment of lumbar degenerative disease, but the long-term follow-up found that the rigid internal fixation-formed stress shielding effect can cause the bone loss of fusion vertebral and accelerate the degeneration of adjacent vertebral bodies.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the efficiency of unilateral vertebral plate interbody fusion with pedicle screw fixation in treatment of lumbar disc herniation.
METHODS: From January 2006 to January 2010, 45 patients with lumbar disc herniation were treated with unilateral transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion and unilateral internal fixation in Affiliated Wujin Hospital to Jiangsu University.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: All the 45 patients were followed up. The mean follow-up period for 45 patients was 6-24 months. None of the patients got incision infection. The JOA score and visual analogue score were improved obviously after fixation; the difference was significant (P < 0.01) compared with pre-fixation. Among the 45 patients, 36 cases were excellent, 5 cases were good, 4 cases were mean, and the good rate was 91%. The X-ray film and the CT image at 6 months after fixation showed the interbody fusion without displacement and settlement, as well as the fixation with no loosening and fracture. Unilateral neural decompression interbody fusion and unilateral pedicle screw fixation are feasible spinal surgery techniques and are satisfactory in treating patients with lumbar disc herniation.