Morphological changes of contralateral intervertebral foramen induced by cage insertion orientation after unilateral transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion

Background This study was performed to investigate the morphological changes of contralateral intervertebral foramen (IVF) based on computed tomography images of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis after unilateral transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) and to compare the influence of different orientation of cage insertion on these changes. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study. Sixty-nine patients with lumbar spinal stenosis who had undergone single-level unilateral TLIF were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups according to the cage insertion orientation: the oblique group (o-group, 39 cases) and the transverse group (t-group, 30 cases). The morphological parameters of contralateral IVF were measured before and 6 months after the operation. Changes in these parameters were compared and analyzed between the two groups. The 6-month clinical outcomes of the two groups were also collected and analyzed. Results There was a significant difference in the rate of increase in the segmental angle ( p < 0.01) between the two groups, the mean value of segmental angle increased by an average of 29.08% ± 14.93% in the o-group and 48.63% ± 12.01% in the t-group. Overall, the posterior disc height had a significant positive correlation with the foraminal height and area. In the o-group, however, an increase in the segmental angle resulted in a decrease in the foraminal area. No significant difference in clinical outcomes was found between the two groups. Conclusions Compared with oblique cage insertion, transverse cage insertion could achieve greater restoration of segmental lumbar lordosis without decreasing contralateral foraminal dimensions.