Kevin I had the ALIF or 360 whatever one wants to call it because I had two previous conservative surgeries from the back. My surgeon did the fusion from the front because he felt he wouldn't have clear access anymore from the back because of scar tissue from those other surgeries. A vascular surgeon opened me up and pushed all aside in my belly to get to my spine so my neurosurgeon could do the fusion. They then turned me over and cleaned out the scar tissue. I felt like a truck ran over me and I had to have a back brace for three months. So ALIF is definitely a more involved surgery and took me more time to recover from it than the other, but it was the only way that made sense. It was my third surgery in 8 months though too. However, I do have two broken screws and since they would have to go back in through the stomach to remove the hardware which is still secure, he said it would be a life threatening surgery and would rather just leave it, since it is causing no harm. I hope your decision is a clear one to make. Good luck
julie