CERVICAL ANTERIOR FUSIONS CAN “SCREW” YOU !

I recently took a case involving an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion procedure by a local neurosurgeon who placed the wrong size screws in him.  The screws protrude 3 mm anterior to the C3 vertebrae resulting in bone spurs and likely nerve impingement.  Headaches can present with further soft tissue injury as an ancillary effect.  Using screws and plates to stabilize the vertebrae is sometimes done when a previous method has failed (the bone fusion fails and allowing too much movement of the vertebral segment and thus more pain, numbness, and weakness). It is also important to discuss the risks and benefits of the procedure with the surgeon before making your decision to have the surgery.
Good questions to ask the surgeon:

Will the hardware remain in my neck?
What could go wrong with the procedure?
How do you prevent this?
What result should I expect?
How long will my recovery be?
How long should the fusion last?
Will I need a neck brace?
Will I need therapy?
How many surgeries like this have you done and how have the outcomes been?
It is important to note that spinal fusion or decompression does not guarantee decreased spine pain but the expectation should be to eliminate limb symptoms (weakness, pain, numbness, tingling, loss of reflexes).  The goal of surgery is to stabilize the neck and secondarily to provide pain relief. You will pain after the surgery but should gradually decrease post op to a level which is manageable. Discuss expected outcome with the surgeon.  Rehab after surgery will be important to control pain and developing functional arm and upper body use.

The goal of surgery is to stabilize the neck and secondarily to provide pain relief. You will pain after the surgery but should gradually decrease post op to a level which is manageable. Discuss expected outcome with the surgeon.  Rehab after surgery will be important to control pain and developing functional arm and upper body use.

However, if you feel there has been negligence on the part of your physician then its crucial that you speak to an attorney as in Tennessee you have only one year from date of negligent act or from date you were on notice of such act whether having actual or constructive knowledge.  The statute of repose has a three year cap from date of negligent act regardless of notice.   There are numerous cervical fusions that are performed negligently by surgeons and many do not find out till much later with symptoms often presenting themselves latently.

About Roland

Roland was born in Nashville, Tennessee and raised in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. The first few years he resided in Paris, France with his mother who was French. In Hendersonville, he attended Beech Senior High School where played soccer and studied in the honors curriculum. Subsequently, he pursued two majors in political science and economics while graduating in three years.

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