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 can then easily be moved along their fibers. This gives the surgeons access to the front of the spine and allows surgeons to perform the surgery. The surgery is done via the natural plane that will not get into the belly or abdominal cavity. Most of the patients or physicians are still misunderstanding that this type of surgery is to go through the stomach, bowel, guts, or visceral organs.

Generally used to treat degenerative disc and in some cases Pt who had prior Discectomy, Recurrent herniated disc, Laminectomy, Decompression, and Failed back surgery

Some of the benefits of ALIF include:

• 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, and the general rule is that bones in compression tend to fuse more easily. This means the bone bridge can form faster and the vertebrae can wire with less intricacy.
• The spacer or device is generally taller/bigger than the Posterior approach; thus the failure of Anterior fusion is much less.
• The proposed result is realigned vertebral bones that no longer put overwhelming weight onto the pinched nerve roots and no longer cause weakening pain.