A Prospective Non-concurrent Controlled Evaluation of Open and MAS® PLIF

December 17, 2025 updated by: NuVasive

A Prospective Non-current Concurrent Controlled Evaluation of Open and MAS® PLIF for the Treatment of Symptomatic Lumbar Degenerative Conditions

The study is a prospective non-concurrent controlled observational evaluation of short-term operative results. As such, study sites will capture perioperative (through 6-week postoperative follow-up) case data associated with 10 standard open PLIF (posterior lumbar interbody fusion) procedures. After this open experience, these same sites will capture the corresponding data from 10 subsequent cases where the MAS (Maximum Access Surgery) PLIF variant was performed. The data from both series of cases will be compiled to identify similarities and differences between the techniques.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The objective of this evaluation is to collect and compare short-term factors related to the morbidity of approach using traditional posterior-approach interbody fusion techniques and a less invasive exposure for the same procedure. Perioperative measures and early outcomes will be documented to demonstrate differences in procedural requirements, safety, and early recovery. A total of 100 subjects will be consecutively enrolled in this prospective study from as many as 8 centers. Patients who, in the surgeon investigator's opinion, require instrumented lumbar interbody fusion and have consented to PLIF surgery for their conditions will be included. The following eligibility criteria are designed to identify existing clinic patients for whom study under this protocol is considered appropriate. All subjects must meet the inclusion/exclusion criteria in order to be considered for enrollment.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
67

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • North Carolina
      • Greensboro, North Carolina, United States, 27401
        • Kuether Brain and Spine
      • Greensboro, North Carolina, United States, 27401
        • Nova Neurosurgical Brain and Spine
    • Pennsylvania
      • York, Pennsylvania, United States, 17405
        • WellSpan Orthopedics-York
    • Texas
      • Temple, Texas, United States, 76508
        • Scott and White Healthcare

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Existing clinic patients

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects must meet all inclusion criteria to be eligible for enrollment into this observational study:

    1. Indicated for posterior lumbar interbody fusion at one or two contiguous motion segments between L1 and S1;
    2. 18+ years of age at the date of written informed consent;
    3. Able to undergo surgery based on physical exam, medical history and surgeon judgment;
    4. Willing and able to return for post-treatment exams according to the follow-up called for in the protocol;

    5. Signed and dated informed consent form.

      Exclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects presenting with any of the following will not be included in this observational study:

    1. Mental or physical condition that would limit the ability to comply with study requirements;
    2. Spine abnormality requiring treatment at more than two levels;
    3. Prior surgery at operative or adjacent level(s);
    4. Involvement in active litigation relating to the spine (worker's compensation claim is allowed if it is not contested);
    5. Significant general illness (e.g., HIV, active metastatic cancer of any type, uncontrolled diabetes, dialysis dependent renal failure, symptomatic liver disease);
    6. Participating in another clinical study that would confound study data.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Open PLIF
The PLIF procedure achieves access to the degenerated disc from the back of the spine, and is performed through a single midline posterior incision that is typically expanded bilaterally past the facet joints to expose bony landmarks for pedicle screw fixation, which are traditionally placed in a trajectory from lateral to medial, requiring a more lateral starting point.
Procedure: Open PLIF (posterior lumbar interbody fusion)
The PLIF procedure achieves access to the degenerated disc from the back of the spine.
MAS PLIF
The MAS PLIF technique is a minimally invasive variant of the traditional PLIF procedure. It is similarly performed through a single midline posterior incision but is conducted through a more medialized posterior approach, avoiding the far lateral exposure typical of the traditional PLIF.
Procedure: MAS PLIF
The MAS PLIF technique is a minimally invasive variant of the traditional PLIF procedure. It is similarly performed through a single midline posterior incision but is conducted through a more medialized posterior approach.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Complications
Time Frame: 6-weeks
All complications will be compiled and their incidence and relationship to the product and/or surgical procedure will be tabulated for comparison.
6-weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Clinical Outcomes
Time Frame: 6-weeks
Visual analog scale (for patient self assessment of back/leg pain)
6-weeks
Radiographic Outcomes
Time Frame: 6-weeks
Radiographic assessment (AP/lateral x-rays)
6-weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
NuVasive

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Kelli Howell, MS, NuVasive

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2014

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
September 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 9, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 11, 2012

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 16, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
December 24, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 17, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • NUVA.P1001

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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