{"id":"800464a9-fc3d-4b80-8aab-870489eb98d5","slug":"why-would-two-patients-with-no-disease-be-offered-unnecessary-transforaminal-lumbar-interbody-fusions-tlif","title":"Why Would Two Patients with No Disease Be Offered Unnecessary Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusions (TLIF)?","authors":["Nancy E. Epstein"],"abstract":"Background: The increase in unnecessary medical procedures, including transforaminal lumbar interbody fusions (TLIF), raises significant concerns in the field of spine surgery. Patients with no identifiable surgical disease are being offered these invasive interventions, often after years of conservative treatments such as epidural steroid injections (ESI). Summary: This editorial discusses two cases of middle-aged patients who were recommended TLIF despite having normal neurological examinations and imaging studies showing no significant spinal disease. Both patients had a long history of low back pain and had undergone multiple ESIs without improvement. The editorial highlights the need for critical evaluation of surgical recommendations in the absence of clear indications. Conclusion: The editorial calls for a reevaluation of the criteria used to recommend surgical interventions like TLIF, especially in patients without identifiable disease. It emphasizes the importance of patient education and the need for a more conservative approach to management in such cases. Keywords: TLIF, spine surgery, epidural injections, low back pain, surgical indications, patient management, unnecessary procedures","thumbnailUrl":"https://sni-digital-videos.s3.amazonaws.com/placeholders/specialty/spine.png","publishDate":"2019-06-25T00:00:00.000Z","doi":"10.25259/SNI-290-2019","categories":["Spine","Editorial"],"fullTextUrl":"https://surgicalneurologyint.com/api/articles/800464a9-fc3d-4b80-8aab-870489eb98d5/pdf"}