Comparison between novel unilateral uniportal endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion and conventional transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion for lumbar degenerative disease with bilateral symptoms: A 1-year follow-up retrospective cohort study

Background Context: Full endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion (FELIF) is a minimally invasive alternative to open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (open-TLIF) for lumbar degenerative disease (LDD). This study aimed to compare 1-year outcomes of a modified trans-Kambin FELIF, termed Kambin Torpedo FELIF (KT-FELIF), with those of conventional open-TLIF. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, 76 patients with single-level LDD and bilateral symptoms underwent KT-FELIF (n=30) or open-TLIF (n=46) between January 2020 and January 2024. Patients with prior spinal surgery, multilevel disease, or incomplete follow-up imaging were excluded. Perioperative data, pain scores [visual analog scale (VAS)], radiologic outcomes, and complications were compared at ≥12-month follow-up. Results: KT-FELIF showed significantly lower blood loss (72.00±62.00 mL vs. 173.91±134.37 mL, p