How long is your fusion good for????

[lelc2002@yahoo]

Can anyone give me an idea how long an adult surgery/ fusion will last(hold spine)??? My sisters asked me today & I had no answer....! Good one for my Dr. at pre-op or sooner...(I'm 46 now)...thks--Ly :)

[Leelee]

I was under the impression that it lasts for life. I mean you can't un-fuse your spine. it's permanent. Good luck with everything!

[lelc2002@yahoo]

I'm hoping you are right....but for some reason, I thought I heard 20 yrs from somewhere...I'm sure everyone is different depending on how old they are & level of activity but I would hope it is the only time I'll ever have to do this.........Ly :)

[Shari]

Hi Lynne,

I too am under the impression that it's a lifetime fusion. I asked my Dr. that question, and he told me that only a major fall, or something like a car accident could cause me problems. I could be wrong.

Shari

[lelc2002@yahoo]

Thks.. I guess another question is: Does today's methods(titanium rods etc. hold the curves much longer than the harrington rods method??? Or does it all depend on the age/activity level affecting it all?

[Singer]

Hi Lynne,

From what I understand, a successful or solid fusion holds for life but it's the unfused part of your spine -- particularly the part below your fusion -- that takes a beating and may send you in for more surgery. The hardware just supports the fusion til the fusion is solid and can be removed later on if there's a problem with breakage or an infection.

So many fun things to think about... :eek:
Chris

[LindaRacine]

Hi Lynne...

Fusions are permanent, assuming that you actually fuse as planned. There can be, however, problems above and/or below the fusion that require additional surgery.

I have some links on my website to abstracts for scoliosis surgery outcome studies:

http://www.scoliosislinks.com/SurgeryResearch.htm

Regards,
Linda

[katblack]

Can anyone give me an idea how long an adult surgery/ fusion will last(hold spine)??? My sisters asked me today & I had no answer....! Good one for my Dr. at pre-op or sooner...(I'm 46 now)...thks--Ly :)
Well Lynn, I hope for our sakes at our ages, that they last us forever. I don't want to do this again...lol

Oh, thank you for your comment at my blog. I appreciate it. I'll try to be better by your surgery so I can make ya laugh about it all ;)

[sweetness514]

Unless there is a non union, or the fusion doesn't heal properly it's life lasting. It's better to keep the hardware in though, or replace if there is a breakage. One thing I don't know for sure is if pseudarthrosis can develop later on, even when the fusion healed well and then gets weak, like with smokers for example.

[lelc2002@yahoo]

thks everyone. I guess I was confused with the part that is'nt fused being a problem later on?? I bet I have a big section fused what with my curves......Ly :eek:

[katblack]

Lynn, if your curves are as bad as you think, they will probably fuse you like they did me, to sacrum, and then you won't have that worry about issues below the fusion having issues.
I am just hoping I fuse properly and not need revision. I can't imagine having to revise all the way to sacrum again.

[JoAnn5]

I don't think i could go thru this again... but i guess u don't really know what you can do until you have to do it.

[LindaRacine]

Hi Lynn...

The number of vertebrae in a fusion is determined by the length of the curve, not the severity.

Regards,
Linda