Dr. Rajnish Kumar, Senior Neurosurgeon ( Indus International Hospital) explains the MIS TLIF procedure.
In patients with spinal instability, the instrumentation is used to help stabilize the spine during bone graft fusion. Using minimally invasive surgery, transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion can be done with a much smaller incision than traditional open spinal surgeries, decreasing damage to the low back muscles.
A bone graft is used to fuse the spinal vertebrae after the disc is removed. However, the TLIF procedure places a single bone graft between the vertebrae from the side, rather than two bone grafts from the rear, as in the PLIF procedure. Inserting the graft from the side where the facet joint has been removed is an effort to avoid moving or damaging nerve roots during the procedure.
