[Renee123]

#21813

I had another surgical recommendation for my isthmic spondylolisthesis grade one, which I never heard of before. I was hoping you could shed some more light on this.

Surgeon recommends ALIF with a plate and screws covering the cage in the front of the spine. Surgeon says no need for posterior back up with the plate because the plate acts as posterior fixation. I guess to compress the cage and hold it into place during fusion ?

What are your thoughts on this ? Also, can anterior screws built in the cage or on this plate cause pain at a later date from arthritis or barometric pressure. I do experience lot of pain with barometric pressure.

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#21820

This is called a “stand alone ALIF”. There is nothing wrong with this technique but the stabilization is not as strong as an ALIF with posterior fixation. This translates into probably somewhat lower fusion success rates. The fixation from the front is embedded into cancellous bone (spongy bone) which does not have as much “grab” as posterior fixation.

Dr. Corenman

PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
 
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.

[biofreeze]

#21825

Can the screws in this plate in the ALIF cause pain. Once they are in through the front there is no going back.

You said in one of your previous posts that the posterior fixation can cause pain with barometric pressure. Is this in fact the case with anterior or posterior fixation or did I misunderstand ?

Thank you

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#21834

I have not seen barometric pressure changes with anterior hardware but I assume this can occur. Hardware in the front of the spine should not cause hardware pain unless there is loosening due to a non-union.

Dr. Corenman

PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
 
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#21835

I have not seen barometric pressure changes with anterior hardware but I assume this can occur. Hardware in the front of the spine should not cause hardware pain unless there is loosening due to a non-union.

Dr. Corenman

PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
 
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.

[Author]

Posts