What Is Anterior & Posterior Spinal Fusion?

Spinal fusion may be done as a surgical intervention for back pain or deformity. The anterior approach is from the front and the posterior approach is from the back. In some cases, the stabilization may require both in the same surgery.

Types

• In the posterior approach to spinal fusion, the lamina is removed to give access to the disc space from the back. According to back.com, this approach may include insertion of spinal instrumentation for support of the graft (fusion).

Techniques

• According to Spine-Health, there are three posterior techniques. Posterolateral gutter fusion places bone graft on the back of the spine. Posterior lumbar interbody fusion places the bone graft in the front of the spine. Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion removes the entire facet joint.

More Techniques

• The anterior approach goes through the abdomen for the lumbar discs and through the neck for cervical spinal fusion. This approach gives the surgeon direct access to the vertebral space.

Considerations

• Spine-Health states that a combination of anterior and posterior lumbar fusion may be performed on patients with fractures or highly unstable vertebrae. This approach allows the surgeon to fuse both the front and back of the spine, which may be needed in cases of severe deformity (see Resources).

Risks

• According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the risk of complications for any type of spine surgery can be serious. These include the possibility of blood clots (thrombophlebitis), poor lung capacity, infection at the surgery site, hardware fracture or movement and chronic pain.