Anterior Lumbar interbody Spine Fusion Surgery

The procedure is usually done by a spine surgeon and an access surgeon who exposes the spine and hands over to the spine surgeon. A 2–3-inch incision is made with the X-ray fluoroscope on the front side of the belly. The location of the damaged disc is analyzed. After locating the damaged disc, the access surgeon exposes the involved level of the spine by carefully dissecting bowels away from the operative field. Then, the spine surgeon removes the disc and inserts a metal or PEEK cage with the bone graft into the disc space. The cage is fixed to the bone by inserting one screw each in the upper and lower vertebral bone. The abdominal incisions are then closed and muscles are sutured. Depending on the patient’s weight and problems, they may need additional percutaneous posterior fusion.