Posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF), described by Cloward in 1943, is the gold standard nowadays in the treatment of spondylol is thes is and degenerative disc disease. The benefits of the procedure are secure fixation of the vertebral body, maintaining the intervertebral space height, and supporting the anterior column, thus providing satisfactory bone fusion while maintaining biomechanical stability. The unilateral pedicle screw PLIF has similar outcomes clinically. However, because the unilateral pedicle screw involves a shorter surgical time, less blood loss, decreases the stiffness of the instrumented segment, and leaving the muscles on one side undisturbed decreases postoperative pain and helps better rehabilitation. Therefore, unilateral pedicle screw PLIF might be more suitable in performing single segment pedicle screw fixation and lumbar interbody fusion. This research was conducted aiming to compare between PLIF with unilateral and bilateral fixation in restoring segmental lordosis by measuring local Cobb angle pre and post-operatively.
Aim of the work
This study aims to compare between pre and post-operative local Cobb angle after PLIF either with unilateral or bilateral fixation, using PEEK cages