Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF) is a unique form of fusion performed through an abdominal incision and is performed with the assistance of a cardiothoracic surgeon. There are distinct advantages with this approach because you have direct access to the disc without the nerves “in the way.” It allows us to insert a larger bone graft and achieve greater lordotic correction than can sometimes be achieved from the posterior fusion alone.
We can achieve powerful restoration of degenerative disc height and correction of spinal alignment. The large corrective spacers we are able to place in the restored space allow for great mechanical stability and much increased success with fusion/healing.