Study design: This was a prospective cross-sectional study.
Purpose: The aim was to describe the effect of patient positioning, from supine to lateral decubitus position, on the width of the L5/S1 anterior disk space defined by the great vessels.
Overview of literature: The application of the lateral decubitus position interbody fusion has been rapidly increasing; however, there are concerns regarding the access to the lumbosacral region due to the great vessels, which necessitates further morphometric data.
Methods: A total of 20 consecutive live patients awaiting lumbar surgery were subjected to two magnetic resonance imaging scans on the same day in both supine and lateral decubitus positions at a single center to investigate the anterior L5/S1 disk space.
Results: The bare anterior L5/S1 disk window was present in all patients of this study population, and the mean width was 27 mm in the supine and 22 mm in the lateral decubitus position, with a mean reduction of 5.2 mm between the positions. The oblique corridor angle was measured at a mean of 33°.
Conclusions: The bare window of L5/S1 disk space was present within this population group, and it was found to be mobile and changed significantly with patient positioning. Therefore, the spine surgeon or the access surgeon must consider the increased potential vascular risk during disk access in lateral decubitus anterior lumbar interbody spinal fusion surgery.
Keywords: Anatomy; Fusion; Lumbosacral region; Spine.