Degenerative lumbar diseases (DLDs), encompassing lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spinal stenosis, degenerative spondylolisthesis and degenerative lumbar scoliosis, constitute a predominant global source of chronic low back pain and radiculopathy. Such conditions markedly degrade patients’ quality of life and place a heavy socioeconomic burden on healthcare systems. Conventional open posterior lumbar surgery delivers satisfactory spinal decompression and interbody fusion, yet it is plagued by prominent drawbacks: severe paraspinal muscle injury, substantial intraoperative blood loss, intractable postoperative pain, longer hospital stays, and an increased risk of adjacent segment disease. Fueled by advances in surgical navigation, spinal endoscopy and intraoperative neuromonitoring, minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) has achieved remarkable progress. These minimally invasive procedures retain the integrity of the posterior ligamentous complex, drastically lessen soft tissue trauma, and enable accelerated early postoperative rehabilitation. This narrative review was conducted to systematically characterize the state-of-the-art application of MISS for DLD management. High-quality peer-reviewed studies were retrieved and synthesized to summarize mainstream MISS techniques, operative workflows, perioperative clinical outcomes, surgical complications and inherent technical limitations. We further outline promising developmental directions for minimally invasive lumbar interventions. This work aims to furnish evidence-based references for clinical therapeutic decision-making and facilitate future translational research related to DLD minimally invasive treatment.
| Published in | American Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (Volume 1, Issue 2) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ajot.20260102.11 |
| Page(s) | 40-45 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, Degenerative Lumbar Disease, Endoscopic Spine Surgery, Percutaneous Pedicle Screw Fixation, Lumbar Decompression, Lumbar Fusion
DLDs | Degenerative Lumbar Diseases |
MISS | Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery |
PELD | Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy |
PTELD | Percutaneous Transforaminal Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy |
MED | Microendoscopic Discectomy |
MIS TLIF | Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion |
OLIF | Oblique Lateral Interbody Fusion |
PPSF | Percutaneous Pedicle Screw Fixation |
VAS | Visual Analogue Scale |
ODI | Oswestry Disability Index |
JOA | Japanese Orthopaedic Association Scores |
UBE | Unilateral Biportal Endoscopy |
AI | Artificial Intelligence |
RCT | Randomized Controlled Trial |
MED | Microendoscopic Discectomy |
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APA Style
Liang, Z. (2026). Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery for Degenerative Lumbar Diseases: Current Advances and Future Perspectives. American Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, 1(2), 40-45. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajot.20260102.11
ACS Style
Liang, Z. Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery for Degenerative Lumbar Diseases: Current Advances and Future Perspectives. Am. J. Orthop. Traumatol. 2026, 1(2), 40-45. doi: 10.11648/j.ajot.20260102.11
@article{10.11648/j.ajot.20260102.11,
author = {Zhi Liang},
title = {Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery for Degenerative Lumbar Diseases: Current Advances and Future Perspectives},
journal = {American Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology},
volume = {1},
number = {2},
pages = {40-45},
doi = {10.11648/j.ajot.20260102.11},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajot.20260102.11},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajot.20260102.11},
abstract = {Degenerative lumbar diseases (DLDs), encompassing lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spinal stenosis, degenerative spondylolisthesis and degenerative lumbar scoliosis, constitute a predominant global source of chronic low back pain and radiculopathy. Such conditions markedly degrade patients’ quality of life and place a heavy socioeconomic burden on healthcare systems. Conventional open posterior lumbar surgery delivers satisfactory spinal decompression and interbody fusion, yet it is plagued by prominent drawbacks: severe paraspinal muscle injury, substantial intraoperative blood loss, intractable postoperative pain, longer hospital stays, and an increased risk of adjacent segment disease. Fueled by advances in surgical navigation, spinal endoscopy and intraoperative neuromonitoring, minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) has achieved remarkable progress. These minimally invasive procedures retain the integrity of the posterior ligamentous complex, drastically lessen soft tissue trauma, and enable accelerated early postoperative rehabilitation. This narrative review was conducted to systematically characterize the state-of-the-art application of MISS for DLD management. High-quality peer-reviewed studies were retrieved and synthesized to summarize mainstream MISS techniques, operative workflows, perioperative clinical outcomes, surgical complications and inherent technical limitations. We further outline promising developmental directions for minimally invasive lumbar interventions. This work aims to furnish evidence-based references for clinical therapeutic decision-making and facilitate future translational research related to DLD minimally invasive treatment.},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery for Degenerative Lumbar Diseases: Current Advances and Future Perspectives AU - Zhi Liang Y1 - 2026/08/10 PY - 2026 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajot.20260102.11 DO - 10.11648/j.ajot.20260102.11 T2 - American Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology JF - American Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology JO - American Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology SP - 40 EP - 45 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 3143-7192 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajot.20260102.11 AB - Degenerative lumbar diseases (DLDs), encompassing lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spinal stenosis, degenerative spondylolisthesis and degenerative lumbar scoliosis, constitute a predominant global source of chronic low back pain and radiculopathy. Such conditions markedly degrade patients’ quality of life and place a heavy socioeconomic burden on healthcare systems. Conventional open posterior lumbar surgery delivers satisfactory spinal decompression and interbody fusion, yet it is plagued by prominent drawbacks: severe paraspinal muscle injury, substantial intraoperative blood loss, intractable postoperative pain, longer hospital stays, and an increased risk of adjacent segment disease. Fueled by advances in surgical navigation, spinal endoscopy and intraoperative neuromonitoring, minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) has achieved remarkable progress. These minimally invasive procedures retain the integrity of the posterior ligamentous complex, drastically lessen soft tissue trauma, and enable accelerated early postoperative rehabilitation. This narrative review was conducted to systematically characterize the state-of-the-art application of MISS for DLD management. High-quality peer-reviewed studies were retrieved and synthesized to summarize mainstream MISS techniques, operative workflows, perioperative clinical outcomes, surgical complications and inherent technical limitations. We further outline promising developmental directions for minimally invasive lumbar interventions. This work aims to furnish evidence-based references for clinical therapeutic decision-making and facilitate future translational research related to DLD minimally invasive treatment. VL - 1 IS - 2 ER -