The Schafer Law Office

Cervical Fusion Surgery

            Trauma such as fractures and dislocations that require surgery can occur when you are injured in a Kentucky car accident. Often surgery is required in the case of fractures or herniated discs. As a personal injury attorney, one surgery that I see frequently is a cervical fusion.

            
            Cervical Fusion Surgery is a procedure that fuses one vertebra to another. This is done to:

• Relieve severe neck pain, including pain in shoulders, arms and hands that are caused by abnormal movement or spinal compression.
• Regain adequate space for the decompressed spinal cord and nerve roots.
• Stop the spine from falling into collapsed deformity.
• Treat cervical instability due to fracture or dislocation, tumor or infection.

            The procedure can be performed in two ways - anterior or posterior. Anterior cervical fusion is when the surgeon reaches the cervical spine through an incision in the front of the neck. Posterior cervical fusion is performed through the back of the neck. An operating microscope is used to allow the surgeon to remove the affected inter vertebral disk, taking the pressure off the nerves.

           
            A bone graft is then placed that will fuse the vertebrate over time. A bone graft may be acquired from a bone bank which collects and stores bone from deceased human donors. This is referred to as an allograft bone. An Autograft bone may also be used, which means utilizing the patient's own bone. It is usually harvested from the top rim of the pelvis. There is then a risk of more pain, infection or weakness in the area where the graft is taken.

            In other cases, neurosurgeon uses metal plates or pins to make sure that bones fuse adequately. This seems to be the most common way of performing this procedure.

            As with all major surgery, complications may occur. Some of the common side effects are problems with anesthesia and with the graft, infection, thrombophlebitis, nerve damage or continuous pain.

            Many people will lead a normal life after this surgery. Pressure place on the joints above and below the fusion may be a future problem. As always, consult an orthopedic surgeon to determine the best course for you after an injury in a Kentucky car accident.