Anterior lumbar interbody fusion in patients with a previous discectomy: minimum 2-year follow-up.

Objective: A retrospective review was conducted to determine the availability of anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) in selected patients who presented with recurrent lumbar disc herniation.

Methods: A total of 22 patients who underwent ALIF were studied clinically and radiographically. The patients were 11 men and 11 women, with a mean age of 46 years (range 23-60 years) at the time of ALIF. The mean follow-up duration was 35 months (range 30-42 months). The fused level at which the ALIF was performed was as follows: L3-L4 (1 patient), L4-L5 (14 patients), and L5-S1 (7 patients). Back pain, leg pain, and functional outcomes were measured both before surgery and at the last follow-up visit. Patient satisfaction index was also assessed.

Results: Leg pain, back pain, and functional status all demonstrated statistically significant improvements between preoperative and postoperative scores by 86%, 77%, and 82%, respectively (P < 0.001). Nineteen of 22 patients (86.3%) were satisfied with their clinical results. Solid fusion was found in all patients.

Conclusions: The authors found ALIF to be an effective procedure with satisfactory clinical results in selected patients with a recurrent disc herniation in the lumbar spine.