I'd like to hear from any of you who have a large fusion from the 70's or earlier and have had revision surgery. I was fused from T4 to L4 in 1974 at Children's Hospital Boston.
The disc in L4/L5 is bad and L5/S1 as well although not as severe. I also have spinal stenosis. I am considering surgery. One plan presented is to add on a new rod and just fuse the spine the rest of the way to the sacrum. This would leave the old fusion alone and essentially just extend it.
Another plan involves cutting into the old fusion to create a lordotic curve. The reason of course that the two lower levels are now bad is because of the way they did the fusions way back when. They overcorrected and I have no natural curve. I hesitate though to cut out pieces of that old fusion. I've talked to a patient who had that successfully done.
I have 2 second opinions lined up for the first week in Oct. Any comments from people who have had additions put on to a large fusion?
The disc in L4/L5 is bad and L5/S1 as well although not as severe. I also have spinal stenosis. I am considering surgery. One plan presented is to add on a new rod and just fuse the spine the rest of the way to the sacrum. This would leave the old fusion alone and essentially just extend it.
Another plan involves cutting into the old fusion to create a lordotic curve. The reason of course that the two lower levels are now bad is because of the way they did the fusions way back when. They overcorrected and I have no natural curve. I hesitate though to cut out pieces of that old fusion. I've talked to a patient who had that successfully done.
I have 2 second opinions lined up for the first week in Oct. Any comments from people who have had additions put on to a large fusion?
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