The old joke is that if you put four spine surgeons in a room and ask them a question, you will get ten different answers.
On any proposed surgery, you have to make sure you have the correct diagnosis, understand what surgery will and will not do and understand the technique of surgery to know what the expected outcome will be. Why one technique is used over another and what are the typical outcomes.
You can obtain much information from the threads on the website. If fusion vs. artificial discs are being discussed, this is thoroughly covered. Types of fusions are covered and the pros and cons of each are discussed.
If you so desire, I will review your images. There is much more to diagnosis than images but at least that is a start.
Dr. Corenman