Spine Fusion
Back Surgery
What is spine fusion
surgery?
A spine fusion is a surgery
that is done to link together
two or more vertebrae. When
there is a problem with the
vertebrae (often a problem
with the disc space), your
doctor may recommend a spine
fusion to eliminate the motion
that occurs within that
portion of the spine. By
linking together the
vertebrae, your doctor is
trying to eliminate the source
of your back problem.
How does a spine fusion
work?
During spine fusion surgery,
your doctor will attempt to
stimulate bone growth between
the vertebrae.
As part of the process to
perform spine fusion, your
surgeon may recommend spinal
instrumentation. This means
that your surgeon will also
place metal within your spine
to hold the vertebral bones
together. Spinal
instrumentation exists in many
different types. Your surgeon
will recommend a particular
type of instrumentation,
depending on many factors
including the underlying
problem being treated, the age
of the patient, the number of
levels of the spine being
fused, and other factors.
What are the problems
with spine fusion surgery?
There are several concerns
with spine fusion surgery, but
overall the procedure works
very well for the vast
majority of patients. Among
the concerns of surgery are:
- The segments do
not fuse
One of the most difficult
parts of spine fusion
surgery, is that often it
is hard to get the new
bone to grow. There are
ways to stimulate bone
growth in spine fusion
surgery, but like
everything else there are
potential drawbacks. The
possibilities to
stimulate bone growth
include using extra bone
from the pelvis
to stimulate new bone
growth, using bone chips
from a donor (allograft),
or using a manufactured
bone substitute.
- The vertebrae and
discs next to the spine
fusion develop problems
This problem tends to
develop years after the
surgery. When the bad
segments of spine are
fused together, the
segments next to the
fusion have more forces
applied. This so-called
'adjacent level'
degeneration can cause
problems after successful
spine fusion. This is one
reason why spinal disc
replacement is being
developed.
A spine fusion is surgery that
is done to eliminate motion
between adjacent vertebrae.
The spine fusion may be done
because to treat a problem
such as spondylolisthesis
(unstable spine), or it may be
done because of the extent of
other surgery (such as a
laminectomy).
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