Back Surgery from the Side

Surgery to correct a common ailment of the back can now be performed through a person’s side.

It’s called XLIF (Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion). XLIF is an alternative — performed by spine surgeons at Southern California Orthopedic Institute (SCOI) — to traditional lumbar spinal fusion surgery in which doctors access the spine through a person’s back or front side. Spinal fusion is a common procedure used to treat degenerative disc disease.

During the XLIF procedure, a patient is positioned on his or her side. Two small incisions are made and doctors use instruments to remove and fuse the diseased disc. New technology allows doctors, while performing surgery, to detect and avoid nerves, reducing the risk of damage.

Steven Peltz, of West Hills, underwent XLIF surgery this year. After years of living with pain and undergoing conservative treatment, Peltz was able to comfortably return to his job and the golf course not long after surgery.

Says Dr. Babak Barcohana, spine surgeon at SCOI who performed surgery on Peltz, “Performing the surgery laterally using the XLIF procedure requires smaller incisions than traditional surgery. Additionally, XLIF avoids major muscles, which means there is less trauma to and retraction of muscles.”

See an animated illustration of XLIF.

In addition to Dr. Barcohana, Dr. Brian Grossman, Dr. Todd Moldawer, and Dr. Steven Schopler each perform XLIF.

Call (877) 952-8484 if you have back pain.

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