Renee123

1.) How can complications be avoided with BMP when it is used for posterolateral fusion ?

2.) Can bone calcify and clog up the foramin and other nerve roots ?

3.) What dose would be used for just the posterolateral fusion ?

Most surgeons that I have met with say they only use BMP for revision surgeries and it is not worth the complications (and cost) the first time around.

This leads me to believe that they don’t use it very much at all unless they have to in revision, which means they don’t really know how to use it !

Thank you, I know nothing about anesthesiology, however I am apprehensive of it because I never had surgery before. Are there any specific questions I should be asking my anesthesiologist or anything that I should be looking out for when speaking to him/her ?

What are your suggestions in having the anesthesiology go smoothly ? before, during and after surgery. any recommendations ?

1.) Does retraction of the thecal sack cause any kind of nerve pain ?

2.) What technique changes and considerations have you made so that BMP does not irritate the nerve root ?

3.) If a surgeon is not using a microscope, what could they possible be operating with, glasses ?

I just read an article on Beckers spine that for degenerative spondylolisthesis (I have isthmic), surgeons now only use BMP 7% of the time when doing a TLIF because of 1.) complications and 2.) cost.

It would seem if you are relatively young and a non smoker it might not be worth the risk of even using it. It accelerates fusion by how much? 5-10%?