ALIF Procedure

The ALIF Procedure: Recommended By Anders Cohen To Treat Many Conditions

Like other reputable surgeons the world over, Anders Cohen performs anterior lumbar interbody fusion or ALIF surgery to deal with a wide range of conditions involving the spine and back.

Conditions which can be successfully treated by ALIF surgery include those involving broken vertebrae; abnormal spinal curvatures such as scoliosis; damaged discs; spinal instability; and spondylolisthesis or the slippage of a vertebral bone. Depending on the diagnosis, surgeons may elect to either perform ALIFs alone or in combination with other procedures.

In this method of surgery, Dr. Cohen makes a precise set of incisions and operations performed with the patients lying face up. Anders Cohen accesses and then removes the herniated or damaged discs. He then fuses the vertebrae exposed when these discs are removed with either bone graft or a substitute.

An ALIF can be performed as a traditional open-spine procedure. In this kind of ALIF, a relatively large incision is made in the abdominal region and the muscles, blood vessels and organs retracted or pulled aside to allow access to the region of the spine needing work. The problematic region is then dealt with, the bone graft or graft substitute inserted, the organs returned and the incision closed. An ALIF of this sort can require several days of healing and rehabilitation depending on the extensiveness of the procedure itself, the doctor recommendations, and the patient’s health. Patients may need to be off work for approximately a month and a half.

However, an ALIF can also be performed using a much less invasive method, with the help of such key equipment as endoscopes and other technologies specifically geared to make the procedure less traumatic. Highly recommended by Anders Cohen, this method only requires small incisions in order to gain access to and treat the spine. Further, healing and rehabilitation can be far swifter than with the open-spine method.