Complications associated with oblique lumbar interbody fusion: a systematic review

• Main Authors: Tan, Quan Rui, Wong, Russell Andrew, Kaliya-Perumal, Arun-Kumar, Oh, Jacob Yoong-Leong
• Other Authors: Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: Medicine, Health and Life Sciences; Meta-analysis; Ppostoperative complications
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/175705; https://www.mdpi.com/2038-9582/12/4/20
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The main advantage of Oblique Lumbar Interbody Fusion (OLIF) is its ability to provide safe access to the lumbar spine while being a robust interbody fusion technique through a minimally invasive approach. This study reviews the postoperative complications of OLIF, offering a comprehensive understanding of its advantages and disadvantages. A total of 27 studies with 1275 patients were shortlisted based on our selection criteria. Complications were categorized into intra-operative, immediate post-operative, and delayed post-operative and were interpreted based on surgical procedure into stand-alone OLIF, OLIF with posterior stabilisation, and unspecified. Major complications exhibited a pooled prevalence of just 1.7%, whereas the overall pooled prevalence of complications was 24.7%. Among the subgroups, the stand-alone subgroup had the lowest prevalence of complications (14.6%) compared to the unspecified subgroup (29.6%) and the OLIF L2-5 with posterior stabilisation subgroup (25.8%). Similarly, for major complications, the stand-alone subgroup had the lowest prevalence (1.4%), while the OLIF L2-5 with posterior stabilisation subgroup (1.8%) and the unspecified OLIF L2-5 subgroup (1.6%) had higher rates. However, the differences were not statistically significant. In conclusion, the rate of major complications after OLIF is minimal, making it a safe procedure with significant benefits outweighing the risks. The advantages of OLIF L2-5 with posterior stabilisation over stand-alone OLIF L2-5 is a subject of discussion.