WHAT IS SPINAL FUSION?
Spinal fusion is procedure in which a bone graft is used to permanently fuse two or more vertebrae into one single bone.
This procedure aims to eliminate the pain caused by excessive movement of vertebrae. Fusing separate problematic vertebrae will help to reduce the painful motion and stabilize to the spine.
Spine fusion is common spinal fusion have been performed for decades
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WHEN IS SPINALL FUSION NECESSARY?
Spinal fusion is recommended when conservative treatments such as medicines, physical therapy or steroid injections haven’t help the back pain.
Fusing procedure might help with these conditions:
- Degenerative disk disease
- Fracture
- Scoliosis
- Stenosis
- Tumors or infection
Spinal fusion can be performed in any region of the spine but it’s most commonly done in lower back (lumbar).
HOW IS SPINAL FUSION DONE?
Depending on how your sugeon aprroaches the spine and which part of spine is affected, we have different types of spinal fusion.
- The spine is accessed from the front – Anterior spinal fusion
- The spine is accessed from the back – Posterior spinal fusion
- The spine is accessed from the side – Lateral spinal fusion
Thanks to the development of advanced techniques nowadays, spinal fusion can be done with minimally invasive.
Common MIS spinal fusion at Spine Center, BNH hospital
- Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF)
- Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF)
- Transpsoas interbody fusion (DLIF or XLIF)
- Oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusion (OLLIF)
Normally, the spinal fusion is performed with other procedures such as discectomy or laminectomy.
Take a case with degenerative disc as an example. Intervertebral disc is soft, gel-like cushion lying separating vertebrae. It acts as shock absorbers and prevents vertebrae from rubbing together. When a disc is degenerative (worn or torn), the vertebrae start to chafe against each other and causes a painful condition. A total discectomy (a procedure that the spine surgeon will remove the degenerated disc) is considered to performed followed by a fusion.
The spinal fusion is performed following a discectomy.
Type of Bone graft
In spinal fusion, a small piece of bone called bone graft will be placed between vertebrae in order to stimulate fusion by increasing bone production and helping to heal the vertebrae together into a solid bone.
There are 3 types of bone graft:
Autograft: bone graft is harvested from your own body, most likely from the pelvis.
Allograft
Artificial bone graft
– Demineralized bone matrices (DBMs)
– Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs)
– Synthetic bone
Immobilization
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Complications of Spinal Fusion
Like any type of surgery, spinal fusion carries the risks and possible complications including:
- Infection
- Bleeding
- Pain at the bone graft site
- Anesthetic complications
- Symptoms return
- Nerves damage (injury to the spinal cord or spinal cord roots) – Rare **
- Paralysis – Very rare ***
Recovering from Spinal Fusion
- To prevent the harmful effects of PM2.5 pollution, it is recommended
- To wear masks, especially for children, pregnant women, and the elderly
- Avoid outdoor activities, spend more time indoors and seek medical attention if experiencing respiratory symptoms.
- Additionally, low-radiation computerized tomography (CT) scans can be used to screen for lung cancer in those at high risk, such as smokers or those with a family history of lung cancer.
Alternatives of Spinal Fusion
- To prevent the harmful effects of PM2.5 pollution, it is recommended
- To wear masks, especially for children, pregnant women, and the elderly
- Avoid outdoor activities, spend more time indoors and seek medical attention if experiencing respiratory symptoms.
- Additionally, low-radiation computerized tomography (CT) scans can be used to screen for lung cancer in those at high risk, such as smokers or those with a family history of lung cancer.
Enhance your potential and boost your confidence with Spectral CT (Spectral Computed Tomography).
It provides even better image quality using advanced radiographic techniques, producing clearer and more detailed images.
Spectral CT can also identify abnormalities that may not be visible in traditional CT scans.
Why should you choose to come for screening at BNH using advanced Spectral CT technology?
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Lung cancer screening package
Low-dose Computed Tomography (low-dose CT)is a screening method that uses a low amount of radiation and a 3D imaging technique that provides higher accuracy than regular X-ray screening. It can detect lung cancer at an early stage and can reduce the mortality rate from lung cancer by up to 20%.
