Three-dimensional-printed guide plate for direct percutaneous pedicle screw implantation in minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion surgery: a retrospective study of 162 patients.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the impact of three-dimensional (3D)-printed guide plate-assisted percutaneous pedicle screw implantation on minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) surgery.

Methods: Overall, 162 patients who underwent MIS-TLIF at Tai'an City Central Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. The studied variables included operative time, volume of intraoperative blood loss, fluoroscopy time, postoperative drainage volume, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Oswestry disability Index (ODI) score (preoperatively and at 2 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after surgery), and intervertebral fusion rate at 6 months after surgery.

Results: The conventional group included 99 patients who underwent a conventional procedure, while the 3D printing group included 63 patients who underwent 3D-printed guide plate-assisted percutaneous pedicle screw implantation. The conventional group required more times of positioning needle punctures than the 3D printing group (22.2 ± 5.9 vs. 16.1 ± 4.9). The operation and fluoroscopy time were also longer in the former group (183.5 ± 51.1 min vs. 148.8 ± 40.3 min and 30.2 ± 5.9 s vs. 24.1 ± 4.9 s, respectively). In 3D printing group, lower back pain VAS scores and ODI scores at 2 weeks and 3 months after surgery were observed. There were no significant differences in terms of the volumes of intraoperative blood loss; postoperative lower limb pain VAS scores; and interbody fusion rate (P > 0.05).

Conclusion: The novel 3D-printed guide plate-assisted percutaneous pedicle screw implantation can achieve better amelioration of back pain and recovery of function. It also reduced the times of positioning needle puncture and fluoroscopy time during percutaneous screw placement surgery and reduced the duration of surgery.