Introduction: The effect of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) with one cage and excised local bone were investigated in 52 patients with a mean follow-up of 18.2 months.
Method: The clinical outcomes including the modified Prolo scale and a visual analog scale (VAS), and radiological assessments including the ratio of interbody graft area, fusion rate, posterior disk height (PH), and the lordosis angle (LA) of the motion segment were studied.
Results: According to a modified Prolo scale, 90.4% of the patients obtained either excellent or good results. The VAS significantly decreased postoperatively. There was significant postoperative improvement of the PH and LA, and no significant loss of the PH and LA was found at final follow-up. The fusion rate in this series was 96.6%.
Conclusion: In conclusion, TLIF with one cage and excised local bone grafting can provide satisfactory treatment outcomes and solid interbody fusion without harvesting and grafting autologous iliac bone.