Evaluating the Outcomes of Minimally Invasive Techniques in Spinal Surgery

Background: There may be benefits to minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) versus open surgeries. The results of MISS are assessed in this research in terms of safety, quality of life, pain alleviation, and functional improvement. Methods: Data from 136 patients who had MISS procedures performed at Peshawar's Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) between April 2022 and March 2024 were examined. Data from pre-, during-, and post-operation were gathered. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was used to measure functional status, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to measure pain, and the SF-36 Health Survey was used to measure quality of life. SPSS version 25 was used for the statistical analysis, with a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: The mean VAS ratings of the patients decreased from 7.8 preoperatively to 2.2 after 12 months (p < 0.001), indicating considerable pain alleviation. There was a significant improvement in function as well; within the same time period, ODI scores decreased from 48% to 15% (p < 0.001). The SF-36 physical and mental component scores increased from 32 and 40 preoperatively to 54 and 53 at 12 months, respectively (p < 0.001), indicating a significant improvement in quality of life. 10% of patients had postoperative problems; there were no long-term neurological impairments, and 5% of cases returned. Conclusion: MISS successfully reduces pain, improves function, and improves quality of life while retaining a low incidence of problems and recurrences. These findings support the wider use of MISS for spinal disorders and point to the need of further studies with bigger sample numbers and longer follow-up periods.