Surgical Incision and Approach in Thoracolumbar Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion Surgery: An Anatomic Study of the Diaphragmatic Attachments.

Study Design: Cadaveric study.

Objective: To provide anatomical basis for deciding the surgical approach and skin incision in thoracolumbar extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) by delineating the attachment points of diaphragm.

Summary Of Background Data: Although the general anatomy of the thoracic diaphragm is well described, the specific attachment points of diaphragm concerned with the XLIF approach is yet to be elaborated.