Spinal fusion, also called spondylodesis or spondylosyndesis, is a surgical procedure performed by orthopedic or neurosurgeons that joins two or more vertebrae, eliminating movement between the fused segments, and it can be performed at any level of the spine, cervical, thoracic, lumbar or sacral. The surgery typically uses bone grafting, taken from the patient, from a donor or from an artificial substitute, to help the vertebrae heal together, often supplemented with screws, plates or cages placed with the aid of fluoroscopy, navigation systems or robotic assistance. Its most frequent indication is pain and pressure from degenerative disc disease, and it also treats spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, spondylosis, spinal fracture, scoliosis and kyphosis, or serves as a fallback when a patient's anatomy is unsuited to total disc replacement; risks include infection, blood loss and nerve damage, and a significant long-term complication is degeneration of the spinal segments adjacent to the fusion, caused by the altered biomechanics of the spine.
Facts
FAQs
Who performed the first spinal fusion and why?
The first spinal fusion was performed by Hibbs in 1911 on a boy with spinal tuberculosis.
Russell Hibbs is credited in a history of bone grafts in spine surgery with performing the first spinal fusion on January 9, 1911. His patient was a boy with spinal tuberculosis, and the aim was to stop the diseased spine from collapsing into deformity. The operation joined vertebrae with bone grafts, the same basic idea that modern fusion still uses with added screws, plates and cages.
Connections
Treated By
Source Dyggve-Melchior-Clausen syndrome (NORD Rare Disease Database)
Treats
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundation
2. History of Bone Grafts in Spine Surgery (Cureus)
Gilad A. Hampel and colleagues, Cureus, 2022History and Progression of Spinal Fusion sectionQuote, History and Progression of Spinal Fusion section
On January 9, 1911, Hibbs performed the first spinal fusion on a boy with spinal tuberculosis.
Spinal fusion (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinal_fusion, lead sectionQuote, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinal_fusion, lead section
Spinal fusion, also called spondylodesis or spondylosyndesis, is a surgery performed by orthopaedic surgeons or neurosurgeons that joins two or more vertebrae.
Dyggve-Melchior-Clausen syndrome (NORD Rare Disease Database)
Treated By: Dyggve-Melchior-Clausen syndrome, TreatmentQuote, Treated By: Dyggve-Melchior-Clausen syndrome, Treatment
spinal fusion of these vertebrae or other means of vertebral stabilization normally is indicated
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