SURGICAL OUTCOMES AND RECOVERY IN CONVENTIONAL VERSUS MINIMALLY INVASIVE TRANSFORAMINAL LUMBAR INTERBODY FUSION: A SINGLE-CENTER EXPERIENCE IN A MIDDLE-INCOME HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.

MIS-TLIF provides superior perioperative outcomes and faster early pain recovery with comparable fusion rates. Increased radiation exposure remains a consideration. These findings support MIS-TLIF as an effective alternative to open TLIF in middle-income healthcare settings.