title: Indications for anterior lumbar interbody fusion.
abstract: Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) has become a widely recognized surgical technique for degenerative pathology of the lumbar spine. Spinal fusion has evolved dramatically ever since the first successful internal fixation by Hadra in 1891 who used a posterior approach to wire adjacent cervical vertebrae in the treatment of fracture-dislocation. Advancements were made to reduce morbidity including bone grafting substitutes, metallic hardware instrumentation and improved surgical technique. The controversy regarding which surgical approach is best for treating various pathologies of the lumbar spine still exists. Despite being an established treatment modality, current indications of ALIF are yet to be clearly defined in the literature. This article discusses the current literature on indications on ALIF surgery.
authors.affiliation: NeuroSpineClinic, Prince of Wales Private Hospital, Randwick, Sydney, Australia. ralphmobbs@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ralph J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Mobbs
authors.forename: Aji
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loganathan
authors.forename: Vivian
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Yeung
authors.forename: Prashanth J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Rao
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D055959:Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000601:surgery; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013168:Spondylolisthesis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery
keywords: Anterior lumbar interbody fusion; Indications