Minimally Invasive Techniques: Oblique Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Oblique Lumbar Interbody Fusion in McKinney TX is a minimally invasive surgery that treats bulging discs, spine instability, fractured vertebrae, and abnormal spine curvature. Back surgery clinic McKinney has qualified professionals that perform the minimally invasive procedure to treat slipping out of vertebrae or spondylolisthesis. Your lumbar spine has five vertebrae or bones located one above the other. The spongy intervertebral disc separates these vertebral bones and cushions your spine during movement. Research shows that aging is the main factor behind the wear and tear in the discs. It causes the vertebral bones to rub against each other painfully, every time you do some movement. As a result, you may suffer from a degenerative disc and leads to numbness and pain in your legs.

What Is Oblique Lumbar Interbody Fusion?

Oblique lumbar interbody fusion, also known as OLIF, is a minimally invasive surgery, which focuses on removing damaged disc and bone. The procedure also involves joining or fusing the two adjacent vertebrae in the spine. Compared to traditional surgery methods, OLIF follows a lateral spinal fusion approach. It spares the disruption of bones, ligaments, and major muscles in your back. The minimally invasive technique is also useful in terms of back strength preservation.

How Is Oblique Lumbar Interbody Fusion Performed?

Oblique Lumbar Interbody Fusion in McKinney TX is one of the best methods to treat a wide range of spinal problems. Here, at the Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery of Texas, our surgeons perform the procedure under general anesthesia. The minimally invasive procedure OLIF is similar to DLIF, which stands for direct lateral interbody fusion. However, the difference is that OLIF overcomes the drawbacks of DLIF to reach the last lumbar vertebrae. Thus, the surgeon accesses the vertebrae easily and avoid disrupting the pelvic bone. The surgeon makes an incision in the side of the patient’s abdomen and separates the soft tissues carefully to access the lumbar spine. The surgeon will fully or partially remove the damaged intervertebral disc or bone. Then, the surgeon places a suitable spacer or bone graft to maintain the space and allow the intervertebral bones to fuse. Here, at the Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery of Texas, we have qualified and experienced neurosurgeons. They fully understand performing the surgery adequately. In some cases, the surgeon may use plates, rods, and screws to provide extra support to the lumbar spine. After placing them, the surgeon carefully repositions the soft tissues and closes the incision.

Advantages Of Oblique Lumbar Interbody Fusion

OLIF has many advantages; for instance, it is a lateral approach and avoids disrupting muscles in your back. It also does not disrupt bones and ligaments in the spinal area and preserves the strength of the patient’s back. Our surgeons perform the surgery through a small 1.5cm incision on the side of the patient. As mentioned above, it is a lateral approach, which requires the surgeon to make a tiny incision. So, it means you will have less scarring and pain. Besides, with OLIF, we use a biocompatible polymer implant to fill the empty space after removing the damaged disc. OLIF allows the surgeon to properly place the bone graft in the space that allows the vertebrae to fuse. OLIF procedure has fewer risks and complications than traditional open back surgery and other minimally invasive procedures. Here at Back surgery clinic McKinney, we use this technique and perform the operation, which does not cause blood loss, more incisions, and extended recovery time.

Postoperative Procedures

The patient will have to stay in our Back surgery clinic McKinney for 1-days or longer. It depends on the condition of the patient. Our surgeon or doctor may prescribe a brace to support the patient’s back as well as pain medication to relieve the painful sensations. We also recommend physical therapy to improve strength and enhance movement after the procedure. In general, it takes around 3 to 6 weeks for the vertebrae to fuse correctly and for the patient to return to normal activities.

Contact Us Today

The Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery of Texas has years of experience in treating patients with back problems. Compared to other surgery methods, we follow the OLIF approach to avoid postoperative complications like infection, bleeding, failure of vertebral fusion, nerve damage, and other difficulties. Spinal surgeries, generally, are invasive and may cause loss of strength as muscles in the back need to be cut by the surgeon to reach the spine. On the other hand, Oblique Lumbar Interbody Fusion in McKinney TX is the best minimally invasive approach that avoids this problem and preserves the strength of your body. Call today!