Anders Cohen Reduces Surgery Time With XLIF and AxiaLIF

Dr. Anders Cohen is a pioneer in minimally invasive spinal surgery. He uses the XLIF and AxiaLIF procedures depending on the affected spinal area.

XLIF and AxiaLIF are spinal fusion procedures used to treat degenerative scoliosis and spondylolisthesis. As in any spinal fusion technique, XLIF and AxiaLIF involve combining two or more vertebrae in order to render them immobile, thus eliminating the pain caused by abnormal movements. Rods are sometimes used to fuse the vertebrae together.

In XLIF and AxiaLIF, muscles are separated but not cut, allowing for faster recovery times. The difference between the two is that they are performed using different paths of access. In XLIF, incisions are made on the side and flank areas. The procedure is not suitable for the lower L5-S1 part of the spine.

AxiaLIF accesses the spine through an adjacent sacral bone incision. This technique is suitable for the L5-S1 part of the spine.

Both procedures, which Anders Cohen performs in the New York metropolitan area, have been proven to be as effective as but produce less blood loss and lead to faster recovery compared to traditional PLIF or ALIF.