Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (Alif): Epidemiological and Radiological Profile

Abstract

Objective: Evaluate the epidemiological and radiographic data of patients submitted to the Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF) technique and the possible complications related to this procedure. Methods: A longitudinal and retrospective study was carried out to analyze electronic medical records and image files of patients who underwent spinal surgery using the ALIF technique between February 2019 and January 2021. Epidemiological data such as age, gender, and level of surgery were analyzed. Radiographic evaluations of lumbar lordosis from L1 to S1 were performed using the COBB technique and the anterior and posterior height of the disc space. The presence of intraoperative and postoperative complications in the patients was analyzed. Results: Initially, 70 patients were analyzed. The most prevalent operated level was L5-S1. The length of stay of the patients varied between 36 and 72 hours. Intraoperative bleeding ranged from 20mL to 400mL. Three patients had significant venous lesions. Differences between anterior and posterior lordosis and height measurements were significant (p < 0.001). Lordosis had a mean increase of 10.3°, anterior height had a mean increase of 7.9mm, and posterior height of 4.0mm. Six cases of intra and postoperative complications were observed. Conclusion: The patients showed improvement in the radiological parameters of the anterior and posterior height of the vertebral discs, with a significant increase in lumbar lordosis. Complication rates were 9.8%, and we had a short hospital stay. Level of Evidence II; Retrospective Longitudinal Study.