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What are people's experiences with spinal fusion surgery?
Spine Health | Last Active: Jun 30 3:25pm | Replies (222)Comment receiving replies
I had a pre-op bone scan recently to assess for osteoporosis due to long term prednisone use. I have been off prednisone for a few years so I thought things might have improved by now.
My current neurosurgeon wanted to recheck a bone scan again because another surgeon was reluctant to do surgery. The surgeon in the past wasn't sure that I had enough "good bone" meaning normal dense bone.
My recent bone scan was called "normal" with a T-score +4.2 but the report says the following:
1. Normal bone density on the bilateral hips.
2. Due to extensive degenerative changes in the lumbar spine, the spine is
invalid for assessment for osteopenia. On the follow-up DEXA
scan, consider including the forearm.
A bone scan done 6 years ago had a similar finding. That scan stated my T-score was abnormally high and advised "clinical correlation" of the result. The surgeon in the past said there was a lot of bone that needed to be removed. He didn't think there would be enough "good bone" left to hold all the hardware that would be needed to fuse my lumbar spine.
That put a damper on the whole idea of doing the fusion 6 years ago!
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@dadcue Have you consulted an endocrinologist about your bone density? That might be something to discuss with your surgeon in case you can improve your bone quality. Are you able to walk to help maintain core strength? Perhaps your surgeon hasn't discussed any procedures yet. My cousin who also had severe canal stenosis had a laminectomy which essentially expands he space in the spinal canal but does not remove or fuse any discs. He is 80, and had that within the last 6 months, and after a couple weeks didn't need pain meds anymore and he was up and around. He has returned to normal activities except golfing because that twisting action on the spine isn't good for him.