{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T04:50:58Z","timestamp":1787028658130,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"13","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,27]],"date-time":"2025-06-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1750982400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Globus Medical"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Lateral lumbar or thoracic interbody fusion (LLIF) is increasingly considered for anterior column reconstruction and restoring segmental lordosis in degenerative, infectious, or deformity conditions. Reports about using LLIF with expandable interbody spacers for spine trauma are scarce. Methods: In this retrospective, single-center observational cohort study, we reviewed all patients treated by an expandable LLIF interbody spacer (ELSA\u00ae Expandable Integrated LLIF Spacer, Globus Medical Inc) for trauma indication at our spine center between September 2018 and January 2024. The primary outcome measures were fusion rate at 12 months, change in segmental sagittal Cobb angle, and clinical outcome according to the MacNab criteria. Secondary outcomes included adverse events and complications. Results: We identified n = 21 patients with a mean age of 48.3 (standard deviation (SD) 15.7), 47.6% were female. LLIF was mostly performed at T11\/12 (n = 4; 19.1%) and T12\/L1 (n = 10; 47.5%). Indications were AO Spine type A2 (n = 4, 19.1%), A3 (n = 14; 66.7%) or A4 fractures (n = 3; 14.3%) with ligamentous (B2-type) in eight (38.1%) and hyperextension (B3-type) injury in one patient (4.8%). Surgery included the release of the anterior longitudinal ligament in four cases (19.1%). Intraoperative AEs were noted in n = 1 (4.8%), postoperative AEs in n = 3 (14.3%) at discharge, n = 4 (19.1%) at three, and n = 2 (9.5%) at twelve months. Segmental sagittal Cobb angle changed from 1.3\u00b0 (preoperative) to 13.3\u00b0 at twelve months (p &lt; 0.001). Functional outcome was excellent\/good in n = 15 (71.4%; four missing) at 12 months. The fusion rate at the LLIF level was 100% at the 12-month follow-up. Conclusions: LLIF with expandable interbody spacers for spine trauma (off-label use) is safe, promotes solid fusion (100% fusion rate at 12 months), and enables correction of sagittal segmental Cobb angle (mean improvement of 12\u00b0), with good or excellent clinical outcomes in most patients (71.4%).<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14134557","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,27]],"date-time":"2025-06-27T03:33:25Z","timestamp":1750995205000},"page":"4557","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Minimally Invasive Lateral Thoracic and Lumbar Interbody Fusion with Expandable Interbody Spacers for Spine Trauma\u2014Indications, Complications and Outcomes"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Linda","family":"B\u00e4ttig","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Spine Center of Eastern Switzerland, Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen & Medical School of St. Gallen, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland"},{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen & Medical School of St. Gallen, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gregor","family":"Fischer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Spine Center of Eastern Switzerland, Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen & Medical School of St. Gallen, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland"},{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen & Medical School of St. Gallen, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Benjamin","family":"Martens","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Spine Center of Eastern Switzerland, Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen & Medical School of St. Gallen, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland"},{"name":"Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen & Medical School of St. Gallen, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anand","family":"Veeravagu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4620-408X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lorenzo","family":"Bertulli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Spine Center of Eastern Switzerland, Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen & Medical School of St. Gallen, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland"},{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen & Medical School of St. Gallen, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6417-1787","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Martin N.","family":"Stienen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Spine Center of Eastern Switzerland, Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen & Medical School of St. Gallen, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland"},{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen & Medical School of St. Gallen, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S338","DOI":"10.1097\/BRS.0b013e3182023113","article-title":"Minimally invasive surgery for traumatic spinal pathologies: A mini-open, lateral approach in the thoracic and lumbar spine","volume":"35","author":"Smith","year":"2010","journal-title":"Spine"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"560","DOI":"10.3171\/2020.3.SPINE2016","article-title":"Single- versus dual-attending strategy for spinal deformity surgery: 2-year experience and systematic review of the literature","volume":"33","author":"Cheng","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. 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