Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure in which two adjacent vertebral segments are joined to become one. This is a common treatment for intervertebral disc degeneration. Intervertebral discs are cartilaginous pads that serve as the spine's shock absorbers. These discs can erode due to trauma, poor posture, or the natural wear and tear that adds up over a lifetime. When a disc is damaged beyond repair, the patient may opt to have it removed and have the vertebrae above and below it fused into a single spinal segment. This surgery can lead to complications.
Lack of Pain Relief
Dr. John Sherman, an orthopedic surgeon with Spine-Health, warns that the most frequent complication of spinal fusion surgery is that it simply doesn't grant the patient the relief from pain that they seek. This occurs in at least 20 percent of spinal fusion procedures, and the risk of failure increases when more than two vertebrae are involved. The frequency of unsuccessful spinal fusion procedures has resulted in the coinage of a medical term to describe such an outcome, which is "failed back surgery syndrome."
Failure to Fuse
Pseudoarthrosis is the term used to describe the results of a spinal surgery where the fusion fails. Sherman states that this happens in up to 10 percent of fusion surgeries. Fusion failure is more common in those who smoke.
Infection
Any surgical procedure opens up the possibility of infection as the body's natural protective barrier, the skin, is disrupted in order to allow surgical access to the internal structures. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons states that antibiotics given before, during and after spinal surgery are aimed at lessening the chance of infection.
Nerve Damage
The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that the proximity of the vertebrae to the spinal cord and the nerves that emerge between the vertebrae increases the risk of serious complications. If surgery results in damage to the nerves, the organs and structures that those particular nerves supply can be impaired.
Blood Clots
Surgery of any kind increases the risk of blood clots that form in the larger leg veins, a condition known as Deep Venous Thrombosis. Leg pain and swelling can result, but more serious, life-threatening complications are also possible if the clot breaks free and travels through the blood stream. Blood clots can lodge in the lungs. Pulmonary embolism, the term used for such migratory clots, can be fatal.
