The first posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) was reported by Jaslow in 1946 when he utilized a bone peg that was placed within the lumbar interspace after discectomy. He augmented this with autogenous bone chips harvested from the posterior elements placed posteriorly.
Posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) is a surgical technique for placing bone graft between adjacent vertebrae (interbody). Typically, screws and rods or other types of spinal instrumentation are used to hold the spine in position while the bone heals. Indications for this procedure may include pain and spinal instability resulting from spondylolisthesis, degenerative disc disease, or when a discectomy is performed to relieve nerve compression and the patient has associated mechanical low back pain. Spinal fusion uses bone graft to promote specific vertebrae to grow or fuse together into a solid and stable construct. Instrumentation, also called internal fixation, incorporates the use of rods, screws, cages, and other types of medical hardware to provide immediate stability to the spine and facilitate fusion.
In minimally invasive procedures, the surgical incisions are small, there is no need (or minimal need) for muscle stripping, there is less tissue retraction, and blood loss is minimized. Special surgical tools allow the surgeon to achieve the same goals and objectives as the open surgery while minimizing cutting and retracting of the paraspinous muscles. Therefore, tissue trauma (injury) and post-operative pain are reduced, hospital stays are shorter, and patients can recover more quickly.