Anterior Retroperitoneal Spine Exposure

Anterior surgical exposure of the lumbar spine has been increasingly performed by general and vascular surgeons over the past decade. Owing to the predominance of spinal pathology at the lower lumbar levels and the spinal surgeons’ need for assistance, the “exposure surgeon” has emerged. The knowledge and expertise for performing the anterior exposures lie within general surgery. Manipulation of the ureter, aorta, and iliac vessels must be done with precision and is an excellent opportunity for surgeons to use their expertise to aid the spinal surgeon. This review covers the relevant aspects of anterior surgical exposure of the spine. This review contains 8 figures, and 39 references. Key words: anterior lumbar interbody fusion, anterior retroperitoneal spine exposure, extraperitoneal, retroperitoneal, spondylolisthesis, spondylosis, total disk replacement

DISC REPLACEMENT IN LUMBAR SPINE

ABSTRACT With the increase in the elderly population worldwide, the prevalence of degenerative diseases tends to grow, especially degenerative disc disease (DDD) in the lumbar spine. It is important to seek excellence treatments to ensure a better quality of life for patients. In this sense, the total disc replacement and the use of prostheses in the lumbar spine have been pointed out as alternative and promising treatments when compared to the standard treatment. The aim of this study is to show the results of total replacement of the intervertebral disc, through a review of the literature. The electronic search was performed in the PubMed databases, with the keywords “Total Disk Replacement”, “Low Back Pain”, and “Arthroplasty” in articles published as of 2012. We selected 16 articles. Level of Evidence: II. Type of study: Systematic reviewb of Level II studies or Level I studies with inconsistent results.