The typical procedure involves both anterior and posterior incisions.  Due to my previous abdominal surgeries and pelvic lymph node dissection, Dr. LaGrone decided that I would be best treated with a posterior approach only utilizing a TLIF (transforaminal posterior lumbar interbody fusion) at L4-L5 and L5-S1 with Moss cage instrumentation followed by an osteotomy at L3 with instrumentation from T12 to the sacrum with Galveston pelvic fixation. This basically means the following:
a) Through the incision on the spine the existing Harrington rod will be removed.
b) The discs at L4-L5 and L5-S1 will be replaced with Moss cages which are synthetic, mesh spacers.
c) Because of my “flat back” from the Harrington rod, the osteotomy is the process of cutting a wedge in the vertebra at L3 and introducing a more normal lordosis curve.
d) Two new rods will be inserted and attached from T12 down to the sacrum. The Galveston fixation involves attaching the rods to the pelvis with screws.