ABSTRACT
【Objective】 To report the early clinical effects and surgical complications of endoscopic spinal fusion technology （Endo-LIF） in the treatment of degenerative lumbar disease. 【Methods】 The clinical data of 31 patients with degenerative lumbar spine disease treated with Endo-LIF from June 2019 to May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. All the 31 patients underwent endoscopic spinal fusion therapy. We recorded the operation time， hospital stay duration， postoperative complications， visual analogue scale for pain （VAS）， oswestry dysfunction Index （ODI） and low back pain in the Chinese Orthopaedic Association Spine Group Surgery scoring standards before operation， immediately after operation， and the last follow-up to evaluate clinical efficacy. 【Results】 The operation time of the 31 patients was （134.80±34.98） min， the intraoperative blood loss was （100.13±18.49） mL， the hospital stay was （6.65±0.17） days， and the follow-up time was 6 to 18 （14±2.3） months. One patient had hematoma compression after surgery； he had incision made immediately to clear the hematoma and healed after bed rest. Two patients developed spinal hypertension and healed after bed rest. All the patients had no symptoms of nerve injury after operation， and the clinical symptoms were significantly relieved. We compared the perioperative VAS score and ODI index of all the patients， which were lower immediately after operation and at the last follow-up than those before the operation （P<0.05）， and the difference was statistically significant. 【Conclusion】 Endo-LIF technology has good short-term clinical effects and the advantages of milder trauma， less blood loss， and quick recovery after surgery. It is a safe and minimally invasive lumbar fusion surgery.