Posterior Lumbar Decompression and Fusion

This surgery is performed to treat spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal that puts pressure on nerves in the back, and a related condition involving slippage of the vertebrae known as spondylolisthesis and/or scoliosis. Both conditions cause pain and weakness in the lower back and legs, and many patients have difficulty walking. As with all spinal fusion surgery, a posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) surgery involves adding bone graft to an area of the spine to set up a biological response that causes the bone to grow between the two vertebral elements and thereby stop the motion at that segment.