Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF) for L5-S1 Recurrent Disc Herniation with Foraminal Stenosis
Published by Dr. Mayur Kardile — Pune Spine Institute
Case Overview
A 67-year-old lady suffered from severe left-side leg pain. She had undergone an L5-S1 discectomy 8 years earlier and had been doing perfectly well after that. However, she had been experiencing recurrent leg pain for the past 6 months.
MRI revealed recurrent disc herniation at L5-S1 with foraminal stenosis on the left side. This is a challenging situation — revision spine surgery carries higher risks because the nerve roots are already scarred from the previous surgery.
Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF) surgery was performed, and she had a dramatic relief from leg pain.
ALIF provides indirect decompression of the spinal nerves and is an excellent technique to avoid nerve roots that are already scarred from previous revision spine surgery. It also restores the normal lordotic angle of the lumbar motion segment, which is crucial for long-term spinal health.
Key Case Highlights
- 167-year-old lady with recurrent L5-S1 disc herniation 8 years after discectomy
- 2MRI: recurrent herniation with foraminal stenosis
- 3ALIF chosen to avoid scarred nerve roots from previous surgery
- 4ALIF provides indirect nerve decompression from the front
- 5Restores normal lordotic angle of the lumbar segment
- 6Dramatic relief from leg pain post-surgery
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Dr. Mayur Kardile
MS Orth | DNB | MCh (Toronto) | FRCSC
Fellowship-trained spine surgeon from Toronto. Trained in North America with expertise in complex deformity correction, minimally invasive surgery, and revision spine procedures.
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