Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Thoracoplasty Question

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Thoracoplasty Question

    Hi everyone.

    Let me first start out by saying that I'm not planning to have surgery anytime soon. However, I figured the Surgical section would be a good place to ask this question. It might be a stilly question but I've been doing some research for a while and haven't found an answer yet...

    Is it possible to have the rib hump surgery (thoracoplasty) without having your spine fused? Could I just have the ribs removed...even though the spine is still crooked? I know that the rib hump would have the chance to grow back to its original state if the curve worsened, but what if the curve was stable? I'm very curious.

    Thanks!

  • #2
    Hi...

    You'd need to ask your doctor for sure, but I'm pretty certain that a thoracoplasty can be done without a spinal fusion. The questions I would have are 1) would it be beneficial without the fusion and 2) would it be considered cosmetic surgery (and thus, not covered by insurance).

    Regards,
    Linda
    Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
    Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

    Comment


    • #3
      Hmm I had the same question about the cosmetic/insurance issue.

      Comment

      Working...
      X