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Anterior Lumbosacral Spine Exposure

What Is Anterior Lumbosacral Spine Exposure?
Anterior spine exposure is a surgical approach that allows your spine surgeon to reach the front (anterior) portion of your lower spine through the abdomen. This exposure provides direct access to the spinal discs and vertebrae in the lower back (the lumbar or lumbosacral region).

At DeKalb Surgical Associates, our Dr. Michael Champney has been performing anterior exposure of the lumbosacral spine since 2008 and has completed more than 2,000 procedures. During this operation, your spine surgeon and Dr. Champney work together—your spine surgeon performs the spine procedure, while Dr. Champney provides safe and effective access to the spine by moving aside abdominal structures and protecting nearby blood vessels.

This approach is often used for both Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF) and Total Disc Arthroplasty (TDA). ALIF stabilizes the spine by removing a degenerated disc and inserting a bone graft or implant between the vertebrae. TDA replaces the degenerated disc with an artificial one. Both of these operations can help relieve pain caused by disc degeneration, instability, or spondylolisthesis, while preserving important back muscles and nerves.

Benefits of Anterior Spine Exposure
The anterior approach to the spine offers several advantages compared to a posterior (from the back) or lateral (from the side) approach:

  • Better Access to the Spine: Provides a clear view and wider access to the disc space for more complete disc removal.
  • Reduced Nerve Risk: Avoids major spinal nerves located behind the spine, decreasing the risk of nerve injury.
  • Single Incision Access: Allows the surgeon to reach multiple spinal levels through one incision.
  • Improved Alignment and Fusion: Enables placement of larger implants and better restoration of normal spine alignment, which can lead to improved fusion rates.

Because of the delicate anatomy in this area, having a general surgeon, such as Dr. Champney, with expertise in abdominal structures helps reduce risks and improve surgical safety.

Potential Complications of Anterior Spine Exposure
As with any surgery, there are potential risks. The most common complication of anterior lumbosacral spine exposure involves injury to one of the iliac blood vessels, which occurs in 1–15% of cases nationally. At DeKalb Surgical Associates, our rate of this complication is very low, reflecting our experience and careful technique.

Other possible complications may include:

  • Blood clots (deep vein thrombosis)
  • Fluid accumulation in the abdomen
  • Temporary disruption of the autonomic nerves, which can cause warmth in one leg or retrograde ejaculation in men
  • Delayed bowel function recovery
  • Abdominal muscle separation or wound healing issues

Your care team will discuss these risks with you in detail before surgery and provide specific instructions for a safe recovery.

Schedule a Consultation
If you would like to learn more about the anterior approach or the role of Dr. Champney and our team in your spine surgery, please call 404-508-4320 to schedule a preoperative appointment. Our team is dedicated to helping you understand your options and supporting you through every step of your surgical journey.

Ready for an appointment or need a second opinion?
Give us a call. 404-508-4320