Research Progress of the Anatomical Structure of the Surgical Approach for Oblique Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Oblique Lumbar Interbody Fusion (OLIF) is a newly developed minimally invasive lumbar interbody fusion procedure used to treat a variety of degenerative lumbar spine diseases. The OLIF procedure has the advantages of less trauma, less bleeding, faster recovery, significant indirect decompression, large bone graft area, high fusion rate, and preservation of posterior column structures, but it needs to be performed under the condition of familiarity with the patient's anatomical approach to avoid injury to nerves, blood vessels, and other structures. In this paper, we review the new clinical advances in the application of anatomy for OLIF surgery in terms of the abdominal wall, blood vessels, lumbar major muscle, window between blood vessels and lumbar major muscle, nerves, and ureter.