Direct lesion and repair of a common iliac vein during XLIF approach.

Purpose: Description of a case of direct intraoperative lesion and repair of a major vascular injury of common iliac vein during an extreme lateral interbody fusion L4-L5 procedure.

Methods: A 69-year-old female who was operated for L4-L5 spondilolysthesis suffered a major vascular injury of a vein. The high cava bifurcation and inadequate pre-operative analysis of the radiological documentation resulted in the lesion.