Subsidence following anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF): a prospective study

Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) is a widely used surgical technique for disorders of the lumbar spine. One potential complication is the subsidence of disc height in the post-operative period. Few studies have reported the rate of subsidence in ALIF surgery prospectively. We prospectively evaluated the rate of subsidence in adult patients undergoing ALIF.

Results were obtained by reviewing scans of 147 patients. Disc heights were measured on radiographic scans taken pre-operatively in addition to post-operatively immediately, at 6 weeks and at 18 months. The anterior and posterior intervertebral disc heights were measured. Subsidence was defined as greater than or equal to 2 mm loss of height.

A total of 15 patients (10.2%) had subsidence, with 7 being male. Each case was of delayed cage subsidence (DCS) >6 weeks postoperatively. The mean subsidence was 4.7 mm (range, 2.4-7.8). Mean anterior disc height was 8.6±0.4 mm preoperatively, which improved to 15.1±0.5 mm at latest follow-up. Mean posterior disc height was 4.7±0.2 mm preoperatively, which improved to 8.7±0.4 mm at latest follow-up. The mean lumbar lordosis (LL) angle was 42.5°±10.8° and the mean local disc angle (LDA) was 6.7°±4.0°. The 91.2% (n=114/125) of patients with appropriate radiological follow-up demonstrated fusion by latest follow-up. There was no correlation between subsidence rate with patient reported outcomes [Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Short Form 12 Item survey (SF-12)] and fusion rates. There was a significant negative correlation between LL and extent of subsidence (Pearson correlation =-0.754, P=0.012).

In conclusion, we found that the subsidence rate at follow-up was generally low following standalone ALIF for this patient series. Patient clinical outcomes and bony fusion rates were not significantly influenced by subsidence.