Methods: One hundred patients undergoing MISS were randomized into two groups. Patients in the nefopam group received 20 mg of intravenous nefopam diluted in 100 mL of normal saline intraoperatively, followed by 80 mg of nefopam diluted in 500 mL of normal saline, given as a continuous infusion postoperatively for 24 hours. The control group received an identical volume of normal saline. Postoperative pain was managed by patient-controlled analgesia in the form of intravenous morphine. Morphine consumption in the first 24 hours was recorded as a primary outcome. Secondary outcomes regarding ERAS were also collected. Results: There were no significant differences in either total morphine consumption or postoperative pain score in the first 24 hours postoperatively between patients receiving nefopam and the control group. Morphine consumption in patients receiving nefopam was 13.54±10.64 mg compared with 15.86±16.2 mg in the control group (p=0.41). Time to postanesthetic care unit discharge, times to first sitting and walking, length of hospital stay, as well as duration of Foley catheter use and time until drain removal were also similar. There were no serious adverse effects of nefopam compared with normal saline. Conclusions Nefopam did not significantly reduce opioid consumption or postoperative pain score. Adding nefopam as part of multimodal analgesia did not show beneficial effects for enhancing recovery after spine surgery.

Methods: Data from patients who underwent minimally invasive (MI) fusion surgery for lumbar degenerative diseases at L4–L5 level was analyzed. Thirty patients each from MIS-TLIF, XLIF, and OLIF groups were recruited for propensity score matching. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) of the back and legs and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were evaluated preoperatively and at 1, 3, and 6 months and 1 year postoperatively. Radiographic outcomes were also compared. The fusion rate was evaluated at 1 year after surgeries. Results: The clinical outcomes were significantly improved in all groups. The disk height was significantly restored in all groups postoperatively, which was significantly more improved in XLIF and OLIF than MIS-TLIF group (p<0.001). The axial canal area was significantly increased more in MIS-TLIF versus XLIF and OLIF (p<0.001). The correction of lumbar lordotic angle and segmental sagittal angle were similar among these techniques. OLIF and XLIF groups showed less blood loss and shorter hospital stays than MIS-TLIF group (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in fusion rate among all groups. Conclusions MIS-TLIF, XLIF, and OLIF facilitated safe and effective MI procedures for treating lumbar degenerative diseases. XLIF and OLIF can achieve clinical outcomes equivalent to MIS-TLIF by indirect decompression. XLIF and OLIF showed less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, and better disk and foraminal height restorations. In single-level L4–5, the restoration of sagittal alignment was similar between these three techniques.

Methods: In this study, 100 patients undergoing lumbar decompressive laminectomy with fusion were randomized into two groups. The nefopam group received 20-mg intravenous nefopam diluted in 100-mL normal saline intraoperatively, followed by 80-mg nefopam diluted in 500-mL normal saline, administered as a continuous infusion postoperatively for 24 hours. The control group received an identical volume of normal saline. Postoperative pain was managed using intravenous morphine via patient-controlled analgesia. Morphine consumption in the first 24 hours was recorded as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes, including postoperative pain score, postoperative function, and length of hospital stay (LOS), were assessed. Results: No statistically significant differences in the total morphine consumption and postoperative pain score in the first 24 hours postoperatively between the two groups. At the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), the nefopam group demonstrated lower pain scores while at rest (p =0.03) and upon movement (p =0.02) than the normal saline group. However, the severity of postoperative pain between the two groups was similar from postoperative day 1 to day 3. LOS was significantly shorter in the nefopam group than in the control group (p <0.01). The time to first sitting and walking and PACU discharge between the two groups were comparable. Conclusions Perioperative intravenous nefopam demonstrated significant pain reduction during the early postoperative period and shortened LOS. Nefopam is considered safe and effective as a part of multimodal analgesia in open spine surgery.