5 level cervical fusion and laminectomy

[sunny19977]

In Nov 2007 I had anterior cervical fusion of C6-7 with intervertebral disectomy with bone graft with anterior plate and screw fixation device. I also had posterior cervical fusion of C3 through C6 with bridging spinal rods and paired lateral mass screws. Also, laminectomies of C3, C4, C5 and C6 with bone grafting material placed around the posterior fixation hardware.

I have been reading over the radiology report of my CT C-spine WO Contrast, CMPLX scan that was done the day after surgery and have a question about the findings.

Particularly does the following mean something didn't go right; is this something I should be concerned about; can you explain what it means?

"Left C6 lateral mass screw positioned laterally and extending beyond the anterior cortex of the lateral mass into the lateral aspect of the transverse foramen. This extends approximately 4 mm beyond the cortex and is positioned just lateral to the vertebral artery."


My surgeon is over 2 hours away and he has released me unless I start having problems so can you help me understand please?

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[Purple98Lady]

Hi,

I'm not a Dr. but since you seem to be doing well and released from his care I would assume all went well. Its rather routine to take post-op scans for checking placements etc. Why not call your surgeon and confirm with him to make you feel better. Glad your doing well.

http://www.spineuniverse.com/displayarticle.php/article2124.html

[sunny19977]

Thanks for the response Purple98Lady but how do I get a response from Dr. Joshua?

[Purple98Lady]

Hi sunny19977,

Welcome to the forum!

I'm so sorry, but its just not humanly possible for Dr. Joshua to answer all questions on an individual basis. He runs a practice and is a neurosurgeon. The forum is for support and discussion and in no way replaces your own physician. I can send him an email regarding. But I cannot give you a time frame for a response. My suggestion is to call your physician directly for a timely answer.

[Dr. Joshua]

Lateral mass screws may damage the vertebral artery when placed improperly. That's what it means when it's in the transverse foramen. However, it looks like no damage was done. Consult your own neurosurgeon about the significance of this radiologic finding as it applies to your particular case.

[sunny19977]

Thank you, Dr. Joshua, for taking the time to respond.