Some patients are ideal candidates for fusion through the front of the lumbar disk space. This is called Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF). This is most commonly done at the lower levels of the spine (L4-5 or L5-S1). The common reasons to do this surgery is 1) a very tall disk space where a tall cage is required (difficult to do from a posterior surgical approach) or 2) a failed fusion from the posterior approach. In almost all cases, a metal titanium plate is combine with a cadaver bone graft to achieve the bony fusion. Below is an x-ray of a patient with an Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF). She ran a marathon 5 months postoperatively, with full resolution of her preoperative pain.
Comments