Translaminar facet screw fixation in lumbar spine fusion

This study evaluates the clinical result and fusion rate in 61 patients who underwent posterolateral spine fusions augmented with translaminar facet screw fixation at an average of 24 months after surgery. Sixty patients (98.4%) were judged to have a solid fusion by radiographic examination at an average of 5 months. Fifty-seven patients (93.4%) rated the result of their surgery as good to excellent; four patients (6.6%) rated their result as unsatisfactory. There were no patients with nerve root injury or other neurologic deficit. The 98.4% fusion rate compares favorably with other methods. The results of this study support the continued use of translaminar facet screw fixation to augment posterolateral fusion in the lumbar spine.