Unilateral biportal endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion (ULIF) versus minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MI-TLIF) for the treatment of degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis: a retrospective analysis

Unilateral biportal endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion (ULIF) versus minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MI-TLIF) for the treatment of degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis: a retrospective analysis | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Unilateral biportal endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion (ULIF) versus minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MI-TLIF) for the treatment of degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis: a retrospective analysis Zhicheng Zhu, Banglin He, Jifu Sun, Liqun Lin, Chen Meng, Yan Sun, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4032191/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 28 May, 2025 Read the published version in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders → Version 1 posted 13 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Objective: This study retrospectively compared the early clinical and imaging outcomes of the single-level Meyerding Grade Ⅰ degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS) between unilateral biportal endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion (ULIF) and minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MI-TLIF) using an expandable tubular retractor system under a surgical loupe. Methods: This was a retrospective study. This study included fifty-five patients (twenty-eight patients underwent ULIF and twenty-seven patients who underwent MI-TLIF at the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University from June 2020 to July 2021. Demographic characteristic, surgical parameters, laboratory results, and clinical and imaging outcomes were collected and compared between the two groups. Results: The mean estimated blood loss was significantly lower in the ULIF group (P<0.001). However, the mean operative time was significantly longer than in the ULIF group than in the MI-TLIF group (P<0.05). The mean CK and CRP levels on the first postoperative day were significantly lower in the ULIF group (P<0.001). All clinical scores improved significantly after the operation in both groups. The VAS back score for pain at two weeks and 1 month postoperatively was significantly lower in the ULIF group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the change in the dural sac cross-sectional area preoperatively or at the final postoperative follow-up. The fusion rate was significantly greater in ULIF at 6 months after the operation (P<0.05). Conclusion: Compared to MI-TLIF, the ULIF technique has the advantages of less hemorrhage, less inflammation, and earlier fusion. However, this approach has a limited operation time. However, further clinical outcomes need to be followed up in the longer term. degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis minimally invasive surgery unilateral biportal endoscopy transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 28 May, 2025 Read the published version in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 18 Jun, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Jun, 2024 Reviews received at journal 17 Jun, 2024 Reviews received at journal 17 Jun, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Jun, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 16 Jun, 2024 Reviews received at journal 14 Jun, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 09 Jun, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 06 Apr, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 28 Mar, 2024 Editor invited by journal 08 Mar, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 08 Mar, 2024 First submitted to journal 07 Mar, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4032191","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":278238336,"identity":"35fb2be7-dad3-45fb-8434-c0747b4e3190","order_by":0,"name":"Zhicheng Zhu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Jiangsu University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zhicheng","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhu","suffix":""},{"id":278238337,"identity":"be9b85aa-3c7e-42a0-a70b-153574d78828","order_by":1,"name":"Banglin He","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Jiangsu 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