title: Walter Mercer's (1891-1971) contribution to the surgical treatment of low back pain.
abstract: In 1936, Walter Mercer described a new method for the operative treatment of patients with spondylolisthesis. Using a transabdominal approach in two patients he inserted iliac crest bone graft into the intervertebral disc. His publication in the Edinburgh Medical Journal caused a furore as the levels operated on did not reflect the description and one of the two patients died post-operatively. However, Mercer continued to promote the operation in his textbooks. The anterior approach to the lumbar spine is now performed routinely. This paper explores Mercer's contribution to anterior spinal surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College of London, London, UK seanfrancishughes@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: S P F
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Hughes
mesh_terms: D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000266:history* / Q000601:surgery; D012606:Scotland; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000266:history* / Q000379:methods; D013168:Spondylolisthesis / Q000266:history* / Q000601:surgery
keywords: Walter Mercer; anterior lumbar spinal fusion; spondylolisthesis