Stand-alone versus supplemented ALIF: a systematic review and meta-analysis of pseudarthrosis and reoperation rates
Ricardo Salemi Riechelmann, Franz Jooji Onishi, Telmo Augusto Barba Belsuzarri, Sérgio Cavalheiro, Eduardo Augusto Iunes · 2026
Read Stand-alone versus supplemented ALIF: a systematic review and meta-analysis of pseudarthrosis and reoperation rates by Ricardo Salemi Riechelmann, Franz Jooji Onishi, Telmo Augusto Barba Belsuzarri, Sérgio Cavalheiro, Eduardo Augusto Iunes (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13233657.txt.
Description
Ricardo Salemi Riechelmann and colleagues published a 2026 systematic review of spinal fusion surgery for degenerative lower back disease. Anterior lumbar interbody fusion rebuilds the disc space from the front, and surgeons debate whether adding screws from the back improves bone healing. The review pooled fourteen studies with 917 patients and over a thousand operated levels, all followed at least a year.
Failed fusion, called pseudarthrosis, occurred in about eight percent of cases overall. Rates were somewhat higher without the added screws, but the difference was not statistically significant. Pain and disability scores improved substantially either way, and fusion failure did not track with worse symptoms in the pooled analysis. One clear signal stood out: stand-alone fusion carried a much higher risk of reoperation for symptomatic failed fusion.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Ricardo Salemi Riechelmann, Franz Jooji Onishi, Telmo Augusto Barba Belsuzarri, Sérgio Cavalheiro, Eduardo Augusto Iunes |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 42 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |