Endoscopic Techniques for Lumbar Interbody Fusion: Principles and Context

Table 1

Possible indications and contraindications for various endoscopic LIF procedures.

		Indications	Contraindications
Endoscopic LIF (any)		(i) Foraminal or lateral recess stenosis; (ii) Low-grade spondylolisthesis (I–II)	(i) Bilateral radiculopathy; (ii) High-grade spondylolisthesis (III–IV)
TLIF	Percutaneous & microendoscopic	(i) Foraminal or lateral recess stenosis; (ii) Low-grade spondylolisthesis (I–II)	(i) Bilateral neuroforaminal stenosis; (ii) Severe central canal stenosis
	Biportal TLIF	(i) Bilateral neuroforaminal stenosis	(i) No unique contraindications
LLIF	XLIF	(i) Sagittal, coronal deformity correction	(i) Unfavorable psoas/lumbar plexus/vascular anatomy recognized preoperatively
	OLIF	(i) No unique indications	(i) Intended neuromonitoring
ALIF		Unknown—limited evidence
PLIF