Long-term follow-up of the anterior lumbar interbody fusion procedure

Purpose : To evaluate the long-term clinical results and the effectiveness of the anterior lumbar interbody fusion procedure. Methods : Between 1999 and 2005, 60 ALIFs were performed in 59 patients. Mean age was 41.1 years. Clinically, patients were evaluated at a mean follow-up of 9.5 years using the Visual Analogue Scale grading scale, the Oswestry Disability score and the SF-36 questionnaire. Results : Preoperative and postoperative clinical evaluation scores of 38 patients were available. Nineteen patients were lost to follow-up, and 2 patients died during the follow-up. The fusion rate was 84%. Mean preoperative VAS-score for back pain was 6.69 (+/- 2.15); in the long term, the mean VAS-score was 4.95 (+/- 2.95), which was a significant improvement. (p < 0.01). The postoperative ODI-score was 36.11 (+/- 22.32), while the preoperative ODI-score was 59.31 (+/- 17.16), which demonstrates a significant improvement. According to the SF-36, mild to good results were observed. Conclusions : The ALIF procedure can offer significant pain relief and improved function if a strict indication policy is followed.