Commentary: Successful spinal fusion surgery: Can we improve the odds?

摘要

The most commonly performed surgery for chronic nonradicular low back pain with lumbar disc degenerative changes is lumbar fusion, a procedure that involves the replacement of one or more intervertebral discs with a bone graft or a bone graft substitute to unite (fuse) two, or more vertebral bodies. A variety of fusion approaches and techniques are practiced that can be performed with or without supplemental hardware (instrumentation) such as plates, screws, or cages that serve as an internal splint while the graft heals. The goal of fusion is to relieve symptoms by removing the presumed pain generator (the degenerated disc) and restricting spinal motion at the affected joint.