The relationship between the anatomical location of the left lumbar segmental artery and the course of the contralateral (right) segmental artery in oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF): a cadaveric analysis.

STUDY DESIGN

Cadaveric anatomical analysis. PURPOSE AND OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE.: Oblique Lumbar Interbody Fusion (OLIF) is a minimally invasive surgical technique used to treat various lumbar spine pathologies, including spinal canal stenosis, degenerative scoliosis, and spondylolisthesis. While vascular injury to the approach (left) side is a recognized complication, there is an underappreciated risk of injury to the contralateral lumbar segmental arteries, particularly during discectomy and cage insertion. These vessels lie outside the direct OLIF surgical corridor and are thus at risk due to the "blind" nature of instrument manipulation. Understanding the trajectory of these contralateral arteries is essential for minimizing complications such as postoperative bleeding and psoas hematoma. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the anatomical relationships of lumbar segmental arteries bilaterally and identify reliable predictors of contralateral artery trajectory.

METHODS

A total of 30 intact cadaveric specimens were dissected to assess the anatomical course of both left and right lumbar segmental arteries. Measurements were taken at each lumbar level (L1-L5) to determine the distance between the arteries and defined landmarks along the intervertebral disc-from the most anterior to the most posterior border.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed a strong correlation between the positions of the left and right lumbar segmental arteries at certain levels. Notably, the anterior position of the left segmental artery demonstrated a high predictive value for the contralateral artery's location at L4 (R = 0.882) and L5 (R = 0.804). In contrast, correlations were weaker at other levels, particularly in the posterior regions of the disc.

CONCLUSION

This cadaveric study suggests that identifying the anterior trajectory of the left segmental artery intraoperatively may serve as a reliable predictor for locating the contralateral artery, particularly at the L4 and L5 levels during OLIF procedures. if the left segmental artery is observed overlying the L4 and L5 vertebral bodies-rather than at the L3/4 or L4/5 intervertebral disc levels-surgeons can be reasonably assured that the corresponding right-sided arteries are also not positioned over the disc spaces. Nevertheless, the general surgical principle remains paramount: instrumentation should never extend beyond the contralateral intervertebral disc border, regardless of presumed vascular anatomy.