ALIF stands for Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion. An ALIF is a surgical procedure aimed at stabilizing your spinal cord by fusing multiple vertebrae together. This is a surgery to treat the pain caused by the movement of the spinal vertebra.the surgeon fuses multiple vertebre together in order to create one solid bone. This procedure stops the movement of the vertebre against each other, and thereby stops pain caused by the movement of the vertebre. The initial incision for this procedure is made through your abdomen. By comparison, during a posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF), the incision is made through your back.
This procedure is similar to PLIF, however it is done from the anterior (front) of the body, usually through an incision in the lower abdominal area, or on the side. Our minimally invasive approach preserves the muscles, and gives access to the front of the spine through a very small incision. Abdominal muscle strength and function is preserved, and if needed the surgery can also fuse the L5-S1 disc space.
