Overview
Lateral lumbar interbody fusion (also known as transpsoas interbody fusion, XLIF, DLIF) is a procedure used to address nerve compression, instability, and alignment issues within the lumbar spine. This involves making a small incision just above the pelvis on either side of the body. A careful dissection is carried down through the psoas muscle to access the intervertebral disc and a small tube is used to gently retract soft tissue out of the field. The disc is removed entirely, and a large interbody device (also called a spacer or cage) fits into place between the vertebrae to uniformly restore the disc space height, correcting alignment issues, instability and indirectly taking pressure off the nerve roots. This surgery is often paired with placement of screws and rods through small incisions in the lower back (see posterior spinal fusion).
Post operative expectations
Many patients feel rapid relief of neurologic symptoms following a LLIF. Pain over the surgical site is expected. The pain can become severe over the first several weeks following surgery and generally requires the use of narcotics and other pain medications to treat. Activity is typically restricted for several weeks following surgery, with most patients returning to work after four weeks depending on the activity level of the work. By three months, most patients generally feel well and are ready to return to full, unrestricted activities. It is important to note that it may take one or two additional months to work into higher levels of physical activity without discomfort and it is recommended to ease into these activities slowly.
