A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 5 3
The oblique lateral lumbar interbody
fusion (OLLIF) procedure
(osmag.net/rv2jxj) combines the bene-
fits of minimally invasive surgery with-
out the complications traditionally asso-
ciated with anterior or lateral approach-
es to effectively treat degenerative spine disease and lower back pain, says neu-
rosurgeon Hamid R. Abbasi, MD, PhD, FACS, FAANS, of TriState Brain and Spine
Institute in Alexandria, Minn.
It's the first spinal fusion that can be completed through a single 10 mm inci-
sion, he says, and because it's technically less demanding than other open and
minimally invasive fusions, it significantly reduces surgery times. Depending on
the number of disc levels involved, surgery times routinely range from about 35
to 45 minutes for a single level and 55 to 65 minutes for 2 levels. Blood loss is
typically minimal, says Dr. Abbasi, and the surgery is now frequently performed
on an outpatient basis.
"Patients report vastly improved pain scores and are often up and walking in
less time than it takes to perform traditional open spine surgery," says Dr.
Abbasi.
The procedure is also safer, he says, because there's no need for major blood
vessel and organ manipulation, as there is with anterior approaches, and smaller
instruments make it easier to avoid the lumbar plexus, a common concern with
lateral approaches. Real-time double C-arm and electrophysiological monitoring
add a level of precision, says Dr. Abbasi, adding that's helped keep the rate of
clinically relevant infections near zero.
The key difference with OLLIF is that the patient is in the prone position and
discs are approached through Kambin's Triangle (formed by the exiting nerve
OLLIF
New MIS Technique
Treats Spine Disease
• BACK TO SCHOOL Dr. Hamid Abbasi discusses the ins and
outs of the OLLIF (oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusion) tech-
nique with interested observers at the TriState Brain and
Spine Institute.
TriState
Brain
and
Spine
Institute
