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Lumbar Spinal Stenosis---surgery questions

Posted by northstar25 @northstar25, Jul 31 3:52pm

I have L4 & L5 advanced spinal canal stenosis, grade 1 anterolisthesis of L4 &L5. Also Grade 1 degenerative spondylolisthesis. This was diagnosed by MRI. The clinic I am seeing wants to do lumbar fusion. I am worried that if I go through with this, I will be worse off than now (if that is possible). I have heard stories about people who have regretted having fusion. They go in through the abdomen, move some stuff around, then flip you over on your stomach, go in through the back to put the hardware in. Anyone have any experience with this surgery? Please advise!! I need help fast!!

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busylady | @busylady | Aug 5 4:48am
In reply to @northstar25 "Thank you for your reply and explanation! I do have spondylolisthesis (one of my vertebrae has..." + (show)
Profile picture for northstar25 @northstar25

Thank you for your reply and explanation! I do have spondylolisthesis (one of my vertebrae has slipped, as I understand it). The MRI report said 'advanced spinal canal stenosis, grade 1 anterolisthesis of L4 & L5. Recurrent disc herniation, adjacent segment disease, disc degeneration of severe foraminal stenosis.' So that's probably why they want to go in through the front, then 'flip me over' (the way the surgeon put it!) and go in through the back. Sounds scary to me!!

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I restored from the operating room many years ago and medicine keeps advancing and advancing. New techniques are always on the horizon and every individual surgical field is so highly specialized. This 360 could be a procedure that they do quite often now, as well as other new surgical procedures.
All the best to you. This will probably be a great pain reliever for you.

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annie1 | @annie1 | Aug 8 4:43pm
In reply to @busylady "Hope this is helpful. I am retired operating room scrub nurse. By going through the abdomen..." + (show)
Profile picture for busylady @busylady

Hope this is helpful. I am retired operating room scrub nurse. By going through the abdomen and securing the spine is what we called a “360.” My guess is that your spine needs much stabilization. Here is what I found on the Internet for you to help you understand: A 360 lumbar fusion, also known as an anterior/posterior lumbar fusion or circumferential fusion, is a surgical procedure that stabilizes the spine by fusing vertebrae from both the front (anterior) and back (posterior) of the spine. This approach is often used for patients with significant spinal issues like degenerative disc disease, spondylolisthesis, or spinal deformities.
Hope this helps.

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I have "atypical" symptoms, which are twitching and throbbing of my calf muscles after I walk. I also have spondylosis, radiculapathy, disc degeneration and on top of it all I have osteoporosis. I was told I need fusion but the osteoporosis can cause complications. Does anyone else have that and had fusion without complications ?

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