Minimally Invasive Spondylolisthesis Surgery

Spondylolisthesis surgery is performed as open surgery by the great majority of surgeons in the world and in Turkey, and for this reason it is regarded as quite an invasive procedure.

Advances in biomedical engineering and surgical technique now allow spondylolisthesis surgery to be performed through a minimally invasive, percutaneous approach. With minimally invasive TLIF (MINI-TLIF), the incision and amount of bone removed are small, the muscles are largely preserved and blood loss is described as minimal.

Minimally invasive spondylolisthesis surgery is performed under general anaesthesia with imaging guidance. Through an incision of approximately 3 cm, the surgeon reaches the spine between the muscle layers. After removing a small amount of bone, the disc space is cleared and a TLIF cage with bone graft is inserted. The cage maintains the height of the disc space, while the graft allows the vertebrae to fuse. Screws and connecting rods are then placed percutaneously on both sides. The operation takes about 2–2.5 hours. The expected hospital stay is two days, although same-day discharge may be possible for selected patients. Because the normal tissues are disturbed less, patients can generally return to their usual activities sooner.