[Operations on vertebral bodies by anterior approach (author's transl)]

The origin of most pathological affections of the spine is situated in the vertebral bodies and the intervertebral disks. There have been established standard manners for the anterior approach to all parts of the spine in the last years which allow us to reach every vertebral body from the front. The authors describe the anterior approach to the different parts of the spine and discuss the indications for interventions on the vertebral bodies separately for the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine. The experience with their 144 own cases is briefly reported.