Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF) – What You Must Know?

Extreme lateral interbody fusion is a surgical technique that is recommended for the treatment of a number of spinal conditions that require fusing the vertebrae. Two of the commonest conditions that can be treated with this procedure include degenerative spinal conditions and scoliosis.

Spinal fusion is known to be one of the most recommended surgical techniques to relieve long-term complications associated with spinal issues. These types of surgeries also require orthopedic implants like the interbody cage and pedicle screws.

Spinal fusion can be performed using various techniques, and one of them is extreme lateral interbody fusion. In this post, we will talk about this procedure in detail.

What is Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF)?

XLIF is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that is performed to fuse two or more vertebrae after removing the damaged intervertebral disc. This type of surgery can be performed at various lumbar levels but, the surgeons prefer doing it only at upper and mid lumbar levels due to the risk of damage to the sensory nerves to legs in case, the surgery is performed at lower levels.

During the procedure, the problematic disc is approached from the side of the spine through a small incision, usually 4-5 centimeters. This is why the procedure is known as EXTREME Lateral Interbody Fusion.

XLIF is not performed as a traditional back surgery as, during this procedure, the patient is positioned on his/her side. This technique is advantageous as making an incision to the side helps avoid the muscles present at the back. Thus, the risk of injury to major muscles is reduced.

This type of fusion surgery is generally recommended for the treatment of back and leg pain caused due to degenerative disc disease and herniated disc. Another advantage of this technique is low post-operative back pain. XLIF can also be used to treat spondylolisthesis, lumbar stenosis, and several types of adult degenerative scoliosis.

This surgery is performed after giving general anesthesia, and it takes around 1 hour to complete the procedure. After surgery, the patient might have to stay in hospital for around 2-5 days, and this depends upon the patient’s condition.

XLIF may be done as a stand-alone procedure or in combination with posterior decompression and/or stabilization using pedicle screws, rods, or plates.  

What Are the Advantages of XLIF Surgery?

There is a significant difference between XLIF and other spinal fusion techniques, and one of them is the way by which the spine is approached. With the XLIF approach, major muscles, bones, and ligaments are not disturbed much, and hence, the risk of injury to them gets reduced. Other advantages include:

• Low surgery time
• Low scarring and blood loss
• Low pain
• Faster and better recovery
• Shorter stay in the hospital

Recovery After XLIF

The recovery after any surgical procedure depends upon various factors, and similar is the case with XLIF. The recovery speed and quality will vary from patient to patient depending upon the severity of the injury, any underlying health concerns, and age & gender.

Most people notice significant relief in the leg pain right after the completion of the surgery, while in some, the pain goes away slowly. Besides this, mild to moderate pain will be there at the surgical wound, and to curb that, oral medications will be prescribed. The Medicine course might be there for some time depending upon the condition.

Many patients can start walking the next day after the surgery while, they can also return to their normal lives in a few months.

For the content source, contact Siora Surgicals Pvt. Ltd., a renowned orthopedic manufacturer in India. The company also has good relationships with numerous global orthopedic surgeons and distributors, and to strengthen this, it is looking for distributors of Orthopedic Implants in Dubai.