Spinal Fusion Surgery Overview

The goal of a spinal fusion surgery is to reduce pain and related symptoms (such as tingling, numbness) and to restore your ability to participate more fully in everyday activities.

This is done by using your own bone, cadaver bone, or synthetic bone substitutes as a graft in order to fuse together two or more vertebrae, eliminating the abnormal motion and/or decompressing the nerves of the spinal cord that may be getting “pinched,” creating these painful or uncomfortable symptoms.

Spinal Fusion: Types, Approaches and Considerations

There are a wide variety of types of spinal fusions, and the type recommended is usually based on the patient’s individual condition and the surgeon’s experience and comfort level with specific techniques. A fusion can be performed from either the front (anterior) or the back (posterior) of the spinal column, with the two most common procedures involving:

• Interbody Fusion (in the disc space). An interbody fusion involves removing the disc (discectomy) between the vertebrae and placing a bone graft and cage or spacer in its place. This helps create an environment that encourages the bones (vertebrae) to grow together to stop motion. This type of fusion is typically called an ALIF (anterior lumbar interbody fusion), PLIF (posterior lumbar interbody fusion) or TLIF (transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion).

• Posterolateral fusion (at the back of the spine). A posterolateral fusion involves placing bone graft on the sides of the adjacent vertebrae, creating an environment that encourages the bones (vertebrae) to grow together to stop motion.

It is important to note that the success of a spinal fusion also depends on the patient’s overall health. For example, fusion has a lower success rate for patients who smoke, use certain medication or have other significant medical conditions.