Navigation Makes Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion Less Invasive

40 patients with single-level degenerative lumbar disc disease who were scheduled for transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) were randomized to undergo the procedure with or without the use of navigation technology. The purpose of this study was to compare perioperative outcomes, including incision length, intraoperative blood loss, operative time, postoperative blood loss, time to mobilization, and the length of hospital stay between groups, as well as the clinical outcomes at 3-month and 2-year follow-up. Significant differences in favour of the navigation group were found for incision length, intraoperative blood loss, time to mobilization, and length of hospital stay. The clinical outcome did not significantly differ between groups at 3 months, and a similar number of complications were reported in both groups.