Mini-open or percutaneous bilateral lumbar transfacet pedicle screw fixation: a technical note

Area of Science:

• Spinal surgery
• Orthopedic surgery
• Neurosurgery

Background:

• Transfacet pedicle screw fixation is an emerging technique comparable to traditional methods.
• A clear, step-by-step surgical technique for transfacet pedicle screw placement is lacking in current literature.
• Screw placement is challenging and differs from traditional pedicle or translaminar facet screws.

Observation:

• The study presents two cases utilizing a novel, step-by-step technique for bilateral lumbar transfacet pedicle screw placement.
• The procedure was successfully performed in both cases using a mini-open approach.
• The technique is described for posterior instrumentation in lumbar fusion.

Findings:

• Postoperative imaging confirmed adequate bilateral placement of transfacet pedicle screws in both patients.
• One patient achieved successful lumbar fusion with intact fixation at 11 months follow-up.
• The described technique demonstrated successful application in achieving lumbar fusion.

Implications:

• This technique provides a reproducible method for transfacet pedicle screw placement.
• It offers a potentially valuable alternative for posterior spinal instrumentation and lumbar fusion.
• Further studies may validate this technique in a larger patient cohort.