CNS Blog
1-, 2-, & 3-level anterior lumbar spinal reconstructions: Beautiful, functional, structural – Tailored solutions using artificial disc + sleek fusion cage combinations
Here are four lovely patient examples of damaged discs in injured or degenerative spines being restored functionally and structurally to help alleviate patients’ pain and disability. I use state-of-the art, unique French prosthetics. The surgery to access the spine in these particular operations is done via the abdomen, a single incision through the skin and […]
Read MoreKlippel-Feil Syndrome. Congenital fusion. Cervical spinal cord & foraminal decompression in stages.
Klippel-Feil syndrome (KFS) is a condition that involves at-birth/congenital (autologous) fusion of some of the cervical vertebrae. That fusion causes acceleration of degenerative changes above and below the fused “block” of vertebrae, often leading to earlier cord compression. In this older man (aka “young retiree”) who I recently operated on with KFS, this was his […]
Read MoreOrientation of your lower lumbar joints and the implication for back pain: Abnormal “coronal orientation” of facet joints and a “pars defect”
The lower lumbar facet joints (illustrated below) are usually oriented at around 45 degrees between the side-on midline plane (“sagittal”; side-on perspective) and the front-on midline plane (“coronal”; front-on perspective). These lubricated ‘synovial’ joints help guide movements and also stabilise the spine, and prevent it from becoming misaligned (listhesis; “slipped”). The lumbar facet joints (a […]
Read MoreNice range of motion following ‘hybrid’ (artificial disc + cage) anterior lumbar spinal reconstruction
This athletic man who also actively runs a large business enterprise had problems maintaining his quality of life from chronic progressive lumbar pain and sciatic symptoms. His two lowermost discs were quite degenerative as seen in the MRI image below (region of red dashed oval). We talked about his options and expectations. I put in […]
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