PMID- 34610449 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20220117 LR - 20220117 IS - 1878-8769 (Electronic) IS - 1878-8750 (Linking) VI - 157 DP - 2022 Jan TI - Single-Level Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion versus Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion with Posterior Instrumentation at L5/S1. PG - e111-e122 LID - S1878-8750(21)01461-3 [pii] LID - 10.1016/j.wneu.2021.09.108 [doi] AB - OBJECTIVE: To compare outcomes between minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) and anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) at L5/S1. METHODS: Primary, elective, single, MIS-TLIF, or ALIF with posterior fixation at L5/S1 were identified. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were collected. Coarsened exact matching was used to control for significant differences. Achievement of minimum clinically important difference [MCID] was determined by comparing DeltaPROM scores with threshold values. Demographic/perioperative characteristics were compared between MIS-TLIF and ALIF cohorts using chi(2) Student t tests. Differences in mean PROM scores, MCID rates, and postoperative complications were evaluated using an unpaired t test. RESULTS: After coarsened exact matching, 93 patients received MIS-TLIF and 50 received ALIF. Cohorts differed in operative time, estimated blood loss, and postoperative narcotic consumption on postoperative day 0 (P < 0.034, all). Mean PROMs differed significantly on 12-Item Short-Form Physical Component Summary at 6 weeks and 1 year, Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Physical Function at 6 weeks, Oswestry Disability Index at 6 weeks, and visual analog scale (VAS) back at 6 weeks, with the ALIF cohort showing significantly improved mean PROMs (P