Posterior lumbar interbody fusion with posterior elements as chip grafts.

The advantages of posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) have been enumerated over the past 40 years. A surgical technique of PLIF, with use of posterior elements cut into small corticocancellous chips measuring 2-4 mm as graft material, has distinct advantages. The PLIF technique with autogenous chip grafts on 113 patients treated between 1974 and 1980 produced as high as 79% objectively good results.