[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#22393

You do have improvement in the canal size since surgery. Also, I assume you have a solid fusion since surgery. With a solid fusion, the chance of cord injury diminishes substantially. It is motion in a narrowed canal that puts the cord in jeopardy. When the neck is extended (bent backwards), the canal narrows and can pinch the cord in an injury called a central cord injury. See https://neckandback.com/conditions/spinal-cord-injuries-neck/ under “central cord injury”. With a solid fusion, it is rare that a cord could be affected by this motion.

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]

#24494

Hello,

I was wondering if someone could decipher these Assessment from a surgeon.

I do not see a good fusion across the fused segment, but there is no evidence of hardware loosening. There was no evidence of good bony formation in between the vertebral body at the site of the discectomy.

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#24495

It appears that you have a “stable” pseudoarthrosis. That means there is no solid bone formation but also there is no motion across the fusion site. About 50% of cervical pseudoarthrosis will be stable. The dense fibrous tissue that forms (instead of bone) is stable and prevents much motion.

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]

#24503

So on a MRI will the disc area look like anything or will it be just a black area between the vertebrae?

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#24504

The MRI is a bad imaging study to look for pseudoarthrosis as bone, scar, tendon and ligament all “look black” on these images. You need flexion/extension X-rays to start and with any suspicion, a CT scan with 1 mm cuts and sagittal/coronal reconstructions to assess the fusion.

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]

#24505

I also have a CT-Scan with dye. Out of curiousity what would it appear like on a CT? The area in question is C5-6. On a MRI it appears like nothing was put in between the vertebrae. There is endplate spurring at that area, which makes me wonder how you would get a bone graft past the endplate spurs. Also a spur in the posterior that is affecting the C6 nerve root.

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