Dimensions of Surgical Rods

[mark's mom]

Dear Friends of the NSF Forum,

Please let me know the actual dimensions of the surgical rods that will be placed in my sons back, from your experience. I'm mostly interested in cirucmference (are they 1/2 an inch, 1/4 inch? etc.). I would imagine that length depends on which vertabrae are to be fused.

We have a June 21 surgery date in the United States for all of you blessed contributors to the forum who helped early on. Your contributions were truly a life line in a dreadful storm.

Mark's Mom
Muscat, Oman

[LindaRacine]

Hi...

This is a question for the surgeon because it depends entirely on the type of implant that is being used. I think most of the pediatric posterior implants are about 3/8" in diameter. I have no idea about the diameter of anterior implants.

Regards,
Linda

[flowerpower]

Mark's Mom,

Linda is right, the surgeon can give you detailed info on the instrumentation. I know I asked our surgeon; I don't have my notes right here with me, but 5/8" came to mind thinking about rod dimensions (diameter). I wish you and your son the best outcome on his surgery. Which dr./hospital did you choose?

Renee

[cdhheidi]

Ditto on asking the surgeon.

BUT... I happen to have my son's first and 2nd set of rods handy (they gave them to us after his later surgeries along with his other hardware including screws, hooks, and his titanium halo... we are planning on making windchimes out of them!) and when I measured, the diameter was just a little over 1/8th of an inch. His first set were grow rods when he was 3, and the 2nd set from fusion at age 5. Stainless steel... his current rods (age 8) are titanium, so they may have a different dimension.

Heidi

[LindaRacine]

After reading your post, Heidi, I realized that I looked at my ruler incorrectly. My post should have said that most pediatric rods are about 3/16" in diameter.

--Linda

[flowerpower]

Whoa, big difference! I was way off on that also sorry!

Renee

[Gail]

Heidi,

A creative mind...what do you do with it...make wind chimes! That just about cracked me up. How creative!

Kindest Regards,
Gail

[LindaRacine]

I've attached a picture of some earrings I had made from pediatric titanium C-D rod.

[mark's mom]

Linda, Flowerpower, Heidi, and Gail,

Thank you very much for your opinion on the rod dimensions. Yes, I'll be sure to double-check with the doc. But what a relief it was to learn that they may be as slender as 3/16". I guess because it is titanium that it can allow such narrow dimensions.

In my wild imagination, I was foreseeing the worse, something more akin to re-bar one might find on a construction sight.

Many, many thanks,

Mark's mom

[lin515]

Marks Mom,

I too had a vision of rods the size of car tail pipes being inserted in my daughters back, but what a relief when I asked my surgeon on the morning of her surgery and he told me how small they were.

Linda,

I love the earrings!!!!!! My daughter has the growing rods in now and when she gets her final surgery I want to make a pair.

Hugs,
Linda

[LindaRacine]

I guess because it is titanium that it can allow such narrow dimensions.

I could be wrong, but I think that SS implants are made in the same dimensions.

--Linda

[cdhheidi]

You are correct Linda,

Sean's first two sets of rods were SS and were the same size as the titanium. It amazes me that something so small can be so powerful.... but then I look at Sean and he is a small but powerful child!

Heidi

[AAU_dad]

size

My daughter has some variant of Horizon by Medtronics. and it was 2 rods titanium stainless alloy 5.5 mm. That is about the diameter of a 22 caliber bullet or appox 7/32 of an inch, slightly less than pencil. Google " horizon + medtronics" follow links to their web site. They have pics with diminsions.