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  • wgreenlee
    Participant
    Post count: 53

    I had a ACDF of C5-6 & C6-7 the post-operative report say’s that he preformed a foraminotomy and that all nerve roots and Dura were well-decompressed. What I can’t understand is that the fusion was preformed and he also stated that he did a foraminotomy as well. I’m still having pain and numbness in both arms, but more so in the right arm and fingers. The thing I cannot understand is that is it normal to have Extensive stenosis or severe stenosis after a procedure like this? I have had 2 post-Surgery MRI’s that both indicate extensive stenosis,severe stenosis, and moderate stenosis in the level where the surgery was preformed.

    Thanks for any input and sorry about the confussion

    wgreenlee
    Participant
    Post count: 53

    One more question. Is it possible to put a bone graft in one disc space and leave the second one without any bone graft? Then stabalize it with the screws and metal plate? Just curious.

    Thanks again

    Donald Corenman, MD, DC
    Moderator
    Post count: 8656

    There is a very old surgery performed by neurosurgeons where they would perform a discectomy and not put a graft in. This surgery had very poor results so was discontinued by most surgeons. Today, the Smith/Robinson procedure where a graft is placed after the decompression (ACDF) is the standard of care. The plate and screws are used to stabilize the graft before it fuses.

    Dr. Corenman

    PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
     
    Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
    Donald Corenman, MD, DC
    Moderator
    Post count: 8656

    If you have continued compression of the cord and nerves after surgery, the surgery was obviously not successful. You need a second opinion and a workup to determine if the residual compression is still causing symptoms.

    Dr. Corenman

    PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
     
    Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
    wgreenlee
    Participant
    Post count: 53

    There is compression of the nerves and a osteophyte left behind having a mass effect on the C6-7 Nerve root. I guess I was trying to figure out if there was a foraminotomy actually done. It doesn’t appear to be the case. Which I guess would bring up my last question of the leaving out the bone graft and just trying to clean out the disc and hoping the Plate and screws stabilize the C5-7 area. The question I would pose is if there is anyway to see a bone graft on a MRI or X-Ray even if it didn’t fuse?

    Donald Corenman, MD, DC
    Moderator
    Post count: 8656

    Well I assume a surgeon could do the old style discectomy and not perform a fusion with graft but probably would not then add a plate and screws. This construct without graft would fix the decompressed levels in a state of collapse and narrow the foramen probably causing continued nerve root compression. Standard X-rays would be the way to look for the presence of bone graft but a CT scan would be necessary to look for fusion in most cases. You can see bone graft on MRI but cannot confirm fusion in most cases.

    Dr. Corenman

    PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
     
    Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
Viewing 6 posts - 19 through 24 (of 28 total)
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