Minimally invasive techniques for lumbar interbody fusions.

Area of Science:

• Spine surgery
• Orthopedics
• Neurosurgery

Background:

• Lumbar spinal fusions have a century-long history for treating spinal conditions.
• Open surgical approaches were traditionally required for adequate exposure.
• Advancements in technology and anatomical understanding have led to minimally invasive techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a general review of minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) techniques for lumbar interbody fusion.
• To discuss the history and indications of these procedures.
• To describe common MISS approaches for lumbar fusion.

Main Methods:

• Review of established and emerging minimally invasive lumbar interbody fusion techniques.
• Categorization of approaches into posterior and anterior techniques.
• Inclusion of descriptions for posterior/posterolateral, anterior, extreme lateral, and axial lumbar interbody fusions.

Main Results:

• Minimally invasive techniques have evolved from traditional open approaches.
• Posterior approaches include posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF).
• Anterior approaches include retroperitoneal and transperitoneal anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF).
• Newer techniques like extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) and axial lumbar interbody fusion (AxiaLIF) are also described.

Conclusions:

• Minimally invasive lumbar interbody fusion offers diverse surgical options.
• Understanding surgical anatomy and technological advancements are key to MISS.
• This review highlights common MISS techniques for lumbar interbody fusion.