Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF) is first introduced by Hodgson and Stock in 1956.
ALIF is an operation that involves approaching the spine through an incision in the abdomen. A portion of the affected disc space is removed from the spine and replaced with an implant. Titanium or stainless steel screws and rods may be inserted into the back of the spine to supplement the stability of the entire construct.
Patients who are suffering from back and/or leg pain which are generally caused by natural degeneration of the disc space.
The ALIF operation is performed with the patient lying on his or her back. The surgeon makes an incision in the patient's abdomen to access the spine. To have a clear view of the spine, the surgeon then retracts the abdominal and vascular structures. Once the spine is in view, the surgeon removes a portion of the degenerated disc from the affected disc space. After this disc material is removed, the surgeon inserts bone graft material into the disc space, such as autograft or INFUSE Bone Graft contained in a LT-CAGE Lumbar Tapered Fusion Device ?to restore the normal anatomic condition of the spine. After the surgery, the patient will normally stay in the hospital between 2 to 5 days. The specific time of stay in the hospital will depend on the patient and the surgeon's specific post-operative treatment plan.
Previous reports have documented that anterior lumbar interbody fusions (ALIF) decrease perioperative blood loss and eliminate nerve root retraction compared to posterior procedures. It has also been shown that ALIF procedures have shorter operating times than posterior lumbar interbody fusions (PLIF) with or without pedicle screw instrumentation. These advances have led to shorter hospitalization times and comparable fusion rates.