SPINAL CANAL SIZE IMPROVEMENT AFTER XLIF FOR LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS.

Background: To evaluate imaging outcomes of XLIF surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study. There were 33 patients with 36 segments of surgery diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis that were surgically treated with the XLIF method. Clinical outcomes measured included VAS scores for lower back pain and leg pain, ODI, and JOA scores. Magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine after surgery was used to evaluate indirect decompression. Differences were determined by independent T-test.

Results: There were 33 patients with 36 segments of surgery. They were 14 males and 19 females with an average age of 59.2±8.01. There was significant improvement in VAS for lower back pain from 7.21±1,73 to 3.15±1.70, VAS for leg pain from 6.88±2.07 to 1.18±1.76, ODI from 27.45±8.48 to 14.48±9.05, and JOA score from 7.24±2.94 to 13.91±1.94. A-P diameter increased 124% and 131%, lateral diameter increased 118% and 129%, lateral recess depth increased 168% and 181%, disc height increased 125% and 129%, foraminal height increased 118% and 117%, spinal canal area increased 125% and 141% after surgery and the last examination (respectively), segmental lordosis increased from 3.29±4.48° to 8.17±3.27°, lumbar lordosis increased from 26.69±14.66° to 34.41±12.45°. The average hospital stay was 5,88±2,9 days.

Conclusion: XLIF surgery presents a favorable option for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis. Spinal canal area improved clearly after surgery in MRI.