[Transiliac postero-lateral approach to the bodies of 2 lower lumbar vertebrae and the upper segment of the sacral vertebrae].

The author has described in detail the surgical procedure of a modification of the postero-lateral approach to the lumbar spine, which enables a wide access to the lower lumbar vertebrae and the upper sacral segment. The modification consists in osteotomy of a fragment of the lateral part of the ilium covering this region together with the origins of the dorsal muscles, isolating it from the sacral-pelvic ligaments and removing it posteriorly. This gives a good view into lateral parts of the arches and bodies. This approach has been used by the author--starting from 1964--in 78 operations in such diseases as: spondylolisthesis, spondylitis, stenosis of the root canals, disorders of growth of the sacral-lumbar junction, and tumors. The operation was tolerated well by the patients and no complications connected with osteotomy of the ilium were recorded.