What is the success rate of XLIF surgery?
Prognosis for patients undergoing XLIF surgery is excellent. Patients have a greater than 95 percent successful fusion rate with XLIF surgery and decreased rates of infection when compared to traditional spinal fusion approaches.
How long does a lateral fusion surgery last?
Reduced operating time: Traditional procedures can take up to 5 hours; the LIF procedure can be successfully completed in as little as 1 hour, reducing the amount of anesthesia time.
Is a Cage an interbody fusion device?
An interbody fusion cage (colloquially known as a “spine cage”) is a prosthesis used in spinal fusion procedures to maintain foraminal height and decompression. They are cylindrical or square-shaped devices, and usually threaded.
Is XLIF a major surgery?
Extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) is a minimally invasive procedure performed through the side of the body to treat spinal disorders and reduce long-term back or leg pain that has not responded to other treatments, such as steroid injections, physical therapy and pain medication.
What is the recovery time for XLIF spine fusion?
Six Weeks After Surgery The majority of patients will return to work one to two weeks after the procedure, but patients that work physically demanding and labor type jobs should take more time away from work. At six weeks, all patients are able to return to work.
Is XLIF safe?
Nevertheless, XLIF/MIS XLIF pose significant additional risks and complications that include; multiple nerve injuries (e.g. lumbar plexus, ilioinguinal, iliohypogastric, genitofemoral, lateral femoral cutaneous, and subcostals (to the anterior abdominal muscles: abdominal oblique), and sympathectomy), major vascular …
Is Xlif a major surgery?
What is a cage in back surgery?
If you plan to opt for spinal fusion surgery to treat your neck or lower back pain, your surgeon will likely place an interbody cage in your spine. The cage serves as a space holder between your affected vertebrae and allows bone to grow through it, eventually becoming a part of your spine.
Is spinal fusion major surgery?
Spinal fusion is major surgery. It usually lasts several hours. It involves making a cut in your back or your belly, or sometimes both. The cuts, called incisions, leave scars that fade with time.
What is eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion?
Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF) Extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) is a minimally invasive procedure performed through the side of the body to treat spinal disorders and reduce long-term back or leg pain that has not responded to other treatments, such as steroid injections, physical therapy and pain medication.
What is An interbody fusion?
An interbody fusion is a type of spinal fusion that involves removing the intervertebral disk from the disk space. When the disk space has been cleared out, your surgeon will implant a metal, plastic, or bone spacer between the two adjoining vertebrae. This spacer, or cage, promotes bone healing and facilitates the fusion.
What is the lateral approach to fusion surgery?
With this approach, the surgeon can reach the vertebrae and intervertebral disks without moving the nerves or opening up muscles in the back. The lateral approach is often referred to as extreme lateral or direct lateral interbody fusion (XLIF or DLIF).
What are the risks of using the cage in anterior lumbar fusion?
The only additional risk of using the cage in anterior lumbar fusion is that if the cage is placed too far backwards or too far to the side it can damage a nerve root. This is a rare complication and can be solved if the cage is removed. If the fusion does not take and the cage must be removed, then this can be somewhat of a challenging procedure.