MIS-Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion, known as ALIF, is a minimally invasive surgery that requires a team approach of specialists, an access surgeon, and a spine surgeon. The surgery is performed from the front of the patient while they are lying on their back. This allows our surgeons to access the spine without irritating any sensitive nerves. Generally, an incision is made on the left side of the abdomen, and the abdominal muscles are easily moved along their fibers. This gives the surgeons access to the front of the spine, allowing them to perform the surgery without getting into the belly or abdominal cavity.

ALIF is generally used to treat degenerative disc disease, and in some cases, patients who have had prior discectomy, recurrent herniated disc, laminectomy, decompression, and failed back surgery.

Benefits of ALIF

• Back and neck muscles remain undisturbed throughout the surgery, leading to less post-operative pain and shortened recuperation times.
• Placing the bone graft or spacer in the front of the spine places it in compression, which helps bones fuse more easily.
• The spacer or device is generally taller/bigger than the posterior approach, leading to a lower failure rate for anterior fusion.
• The proposed result is realigned vertebral bones that no longer put excessive weight on pinched nerve roots and relieve pain.

Should it be indicated, we will use posterior percutaneous pedicle screws for additional fixation to further optimize the odds of a successful spinal fusion.