Posterior foraminotomy of the cervical spine

Tagged: Posterior foraminotomy of the cervical spine

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westie California
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August 10, 2020 at 5:40 pm

Post count: 138

#32829

Good Evening Dr. Corenman,

I’m more confused now, sorry, I thought when your fused anteriorly and posteriorly (360 degrees) the facet’s should not cause any pain? I would think no motion should exist at those levels. Placed a call to your office, and spoke to answering service. Will reach out tomorrow, and see if my insurance will cover a telemedicine appointment. Thanks

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

August 11, 2020 at 9:28 am

Post count: 8660

#32831

You are correct. We are not talking about neck pain generated by facet disease but nerve root compression of the C4 nerve causing neck pain. The facet I assume is fused but could also be causing foraminal stenosis due to the enlarged uncovertebral joint.

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.

westie California
Participant

August 12, 2020 at 4:15 pm

Post count: 138

#32838

I spoke to NP at surgeon’s office and was told “most of your uncovertebral joints are enlarged due to arthritis”. I was referred to my last MRI that notes:

“C3/4-C6/7 postsurgical changes are noted with anterior fusion plate and anterior fixation screws transversing the C3-C7 vertebral bodies. Graft placement associated with discectomy and fusion procedures are noted at the C3-4, C4-5, C5-6, and C6-7 disc space level. Hypertrophic changes are noted at each level deforming the anterior margin of the thecal sac”. Can enlarged uncovertebral joints encroach on dura and if so can this be a source of pain?

I inquired about C3-4 facetectomy and was told ” due to previous procedures i.e. cervical laminectomies (C3-C7) foraminotomies (C5-C7), and medial facetectomies (C5-C7), it makes no sense to remove more bone, as any additional removal will cause additional weakening and instability. Your spine is already showing signs of weakness, due to fact that you have post laminectomy kyphosis deformity”. Is there any other procedure that can remove bone spurs without removing more bone? doesn’t appear any procedure that involves bone removal will be performed.

westie California
Participant

August 16, 2020 at 8:45 pm

Post count: 138

#32845

Good evening Dr. Corenman,

I will be making a decision soon on which surgeon will perform my Pseudarthrosis correction, however I wanted to obtain feedback from you before I proceed. Both surgeons appear reluctant to address any of the foraminal stenosis, especially, C3-4 moderate to severe foraminal stenosis due to uncovertebral bone spurring. First surgeon, was able to convince not to fuse C2-C3, he would perform T1-T2 with my iliac crest bone and two rods. He did inform me that in approximately 5 years, will need fusion extended to T3. Second surgeon stated he would perform Pseudarthrosis correction with bone graft, and extend fusion to T3. He would increase previous screw tracks hole size and place instrumentation from C5 thru T3. He believes that using instrumentation can probably help with kyphosis and stabilization.

If you can share your thoughts on these different approaches it would be highly appreciated and helpful in making my determination. Thanks always in advance

Donald Corenman, MD, DC
Moderator

August 20, 2020 at 7:05 am

Post count: 8660

#32880

If both surgeons worry about the level below the pseudoarthosis (T2-3), it seems that addressing it at the time of surgery would make some sense. I would think the second surgeon might therefore be a better fit. I would not be absolutely committed to a formainotomy at C3-4 as with a previous laminectomy and fusion at that level, surgery would be quite challenging in either surgeon’s hands. Plus, you have not had a selective nerve root block to prove that this level is a pain generator.

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.

westie California
Participant

August 20, 2020 at 8:03 am

Post count: 138

#32883

Good morning Dr Corenman,

I had blocks performed in May and June of this year at C3, C5 and C7. All levels were pain generator’s especially C3-C4 left side. What’s ironic that my pain management pointed to is that I’ve had foraiminal stenosis at these levels before all anterior and posterior procedure’s, i.e ACDF, Laminectomies, facetectomies, corpectectomy and not one procedure has removed these multi level compressions.

The bone spurs were never removed during my ACDF’s and as you stated earlier it’s very challenging to perform from a posterior approach. What I’m not sure of is can an anterior micro foramenotomy remove these bone spurs? We know these levels are pain generator’s, per injections and EMG studies, the bigger question is how can it be fixed? Thanks again
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Donald Corenman, MD, DC

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81 reviews

Eric S

Sep 26, 2021

by Eric S on Donald Corenman, MD, DC

Successful pars repair at 46 years old

Back in November of 2018 (at 46 years old) I came from Vancouver BC to have a pars repair done with Dr. Donald Corenman at the Steadman Clinic in Vail Colorado. I'm finally posting this review nearly three years later in late 2021. The reason I waited so long was I wanted to know the final result before I posted my review. Unfortunately in that time Dr. Corenman has retired. Nevertheless, I want to post this review of Dr. Corenman and his staff at the Steadman Clinic in their excellent treatment of my L5 pars interarticularis.

I fractured my pars at age 42 back in 2014 when rolling on the gym floor, and was denied treatment by the Canadian healthcare system, probably due to my age. First my GP told me there was no surgical option for a pars defect, which was quite incorrect! I tried to live with it, but the symptoms worsened (periodic random spine slippage and weeks of resultant pain after just bending over to tie my shoe, so I eventually learned to mostly squat and hardly bend). When I finally consulted with Canadian spine surgeons, I was told they believed my pars defect had been congenital (since birth). This was absurd, considering I had done extreme martial arts (including jiu jitsu) for years prior, as well as 5 years of reinforcing steel full time in my 20s, probably the hardest job on the back you can find. No pars defect like mine would possibly have allowed this--ergo it was impossible that I had had the defect since birth. I did however have an asymptomatic congenital spina bifida occulta that made me more susceptible to a pars fracture. In 2014 in one instant, I went from having the strongest back people I knew said they'd ever seen, to being unable to safely bend over and tie my shoe without a non-negligible risk of my spine slipping randomly (which would lead to weeks of pain after each occurrence). This was due to the unilateral L5 pars defect, otherwise known as spondylolysis. It was when lying in pain on the floor 4 years later after maybe the 6th spine slippage event post injury, that I had had enough, and resolved to have surgery. If Canada's "universal health care" said no, I would make lemonade from lemons, and find the very best surgeon in the world at pars repairs. That was Dr. Donald Corenman. Dr. Corenman back in 2018 ran a website https://neckandback.com/ that dedicated many pages to the science of every aspect of pars repairs, from eligibility (good discs on MRI), to best surgical techniques (minimal open compared to minimally invasive), best imaging to use (i.e., O-Arm with Stealth imaging vs. older fluoroscopy), the ideal amount of BMP to use and why not use too much or too little, and much more, all to do with pars repairs, pages upon pages of his site just on the pars, with scientific references and his own extensive expert opinion. As a health research statistician, I was very impressed with this. It was in stark contrast to the websites of other spine surgeons which barely gave the pars a word or two, focusing almost exclusively on fusions. I had found the best surgeon in the world for pars repairs, and so after Dr. Corenman personally screened my MRI to ensure my discs were healthy, I booked the surgery.

Being 46 years old at the time of surgery in 2018, with a 4-year-old pars fracture from 2014 combined with a congenital SBO meant my pars fragment was somewhat atrophied, but it was "very solid", said Dr. Corenman in the operative report. Nevertheless, it was challenging with two things to fix, the pars and SBO, and OR time was around 4 hours. Recovery over the following months was guided by a very clear "Spine binder" from the Steadman Clinic with strict rules of "no BLT" (no bending, lifting or twisting), and illustrated physiotherapy guidelines. They even warned patients to avoid fish oil supplements, which could excessively dampen inflammation and hence slow bone healing. They answered many questions I had during months of recovery, with responses coming from the very supportive Lori Fugate (then director of Dr. Corenman's practice), and Ehrich Bean (then physician's assistant at the practice), as well as a couple calls with Dr. Corenman himself after two of the CT scans. Ehrich Bean offered great advice for taking the spine binder conservatively due to the nature of pars repairs vs. fusions. The final post-op CT scan I had was a couple weeks ago at 34 months post-op, and Dr. Corenman had retired, but I got a very positive and informative call from Eric Strauch (current PA at the Steadman Clinic under Dr. Corenman's replacement there, and who had also worked with Dr. Corenman previously). The staff at the Steadman Clinic were extremely supportive all the way through the process. I should mention, the local Canadian spine surgeon did offer me very good post-operative support including antibiotics as needed to deal with a mild surface incision-site infection early on, booking numerous x-rays when I felt something was amiss, as well as booking all four of my post-op CT scans. I am very grateful for that support also.

My final result shows plenty of solid bone across the pars and a healed SBO, with my vertebral body now a solid bone ring instead of being broken at two places as it was pre-op. Does my spine hold up in the real world? You bet! I have recently dug and moved several yards of dirt and sand and gravel by myself (shovel and wheelbarrow!) to fix our water main, pulled roots from the yard, moved several "portable" (these are HUGE) air conditioners up several flights of stairs my myself, and lifted weights. I now run 2 miles (3.2 KM) several times weekly with a hard 100 meter dash in the middle. I bend deeply before each run I go on, with no spine slippage. My spine feels amazing. I can bend over to do exercise, or real word tasks, with no risk of spine slippage.

My sincere thanks to God, Dr. Donald Corenman, Lori Fugate, Ehrich Bean, Eric Strauch, and the Steadman Clinic, as well as the Canadian spine surgeon who offered me excellent post-operative care back in Canada. You have all given me a new lease on life.

Sincerely,
Eric S

Robert S

May 11, 2021

by Robert S on Donald Corenman, MD, DC

Back Fusion Surgery

I had my entire lumbar spine fused in November of 2018. I had scoliosis , with pinched nerves that were so painful I could hardly walk - and standing for more than a few minutes was impossible. Even sitting was painful.
The fusion surgery produced immediate relief! And the recovery was much easier than I expected.
To this day I can do all the activities I love from hiking, to standing in a stream fly fishing to riding my bike long distances - or just walking down the street with my wife.
Kudos to Dr. Corenman and his staff, (including the two Erics) for taking such good care of me!

Leslie R

Jul 9, 2020

by Leslie R on Donald Corenman, MD, DC

TLIF

I had my TLIF surgery on 6/24/2020 by Dr. Corenman, I can not say enough good things about the Dr or his staff. I was always treated with respect and explained everything throughly, that made it easy for everyone to understand. I highly recommend Dr. Corenman and the Steadman Clinic.

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