Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion: a retrospective study of long-term pain relief and fusion outcomes.

No long-term studies exist on the effectiveness of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. This study sought to determine postoperative pain, disability, and fusion status of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion patients after > or = 4 years to establish long-term outcomes. A retrospective analysis of 42 patients with minimum 4-year follow-up was conducted. Patients completed visual analog pain scale (VAS) and Oswestry functional capacity evaluation pre- and postoperatively. Statistically significant improvement was noted in VAS and Oswestry functional capacity evaluation scores. Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion is effective in alleviating intractable back pain over an extended time period. Solid radiographic fusion is unnecessary for clinically successful outcomes.