Reduction and monosegmental fusion for lumbar spondylolisthesis with a long tab percutaneous pedicle screw system: "swing" technique

Abstract

OBJECTIVE With the development of minimally invasive procedures, percutaneous pedicle screw systems have been used to attempt to correct spondylolisthesis. No previous studies have reported on reduction measures using long tab percutaneous pedicle screws for spondylolisthesis. Additional intraoperative correction has been proposed with the “swing” technique. This study was conducted to compare the efficacy of standard minimally invasive transforaminal interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) with the efficacy of MIS-TLIF with the “swing” technique (MIS-TLIF and swing) in lumbar spondylolisthesis.

METHODS This was a matched-control study and included 30 consecutive patients who were followed up for 6 months after surgery. Of those patients, 15 were treated with operative reduction via MIS-TLIF with the “swing” technique, whereas the other 15 were treated with the standard MIS-TLIF procedure. The swing technique is a new reduction procedure for use with long tab percutaneous screws. In the swing technique, the entire system is swung back and forth several times after all constructs are placed. Only patients with Meyerding grade I or II lumbar spondylolisthesis were included in the study (18 with grade I and 12 with grade II). Perioperative and clinical outcomes, radiological parameters (Meyerding grade, percentage of slip, slip correction rate, segmental lordosis, and lumbar lordosis) were compared between groups at 6 months after surgery.

RESULTS Demographic data did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. Postoperative clinical outcomes showed significant improvement in both groups. Postoperative radiological parameters showed that the degree of spondylolisthesis (swing: 4.7% vs standard: 8.9%) and reduction rate (swing: 77.3% vs standard: 57.1%) favored the swing group. The swing technique effectively decreased the degree of spondylolisthesis (swing: 24.1% to 4.7% vs standard: 21.8% to 8.9%). No complications related to the procedure were reported.

CONCLUSIONS MIS-TLIF with the “swing” technique with long tab percutaneous pedicle screws is a safe and effective reduction method for monosegmental spondylolisthesis. This technique cannot only alleviate symptoms but also achieve nearly completely reduction of slippage.