Cervical Fusion

Cervical Fusion Overview

Cervical fusion treats a diseased or damaged neck disc that causes movement-related pain. Carolina Orthopaedic and Neurosurgical Associates’ (CONA) spine specialists perform minimally invasive and traditional cervical fusion procedures.

How is cervical fusion performed?

After general anesthesia is administered and the patient is completely asleep and can feel no pain, a CONA spine specialist:

  • Gently retracts soft tissues to expose the disc
  • Carefully removes the disc
  • Inserts and fixates a cage implant packed with bone graft into the intervertebral space
  • Closes tissue layers and skin
  • Applies a sterile dressing to the surgical site

A soft collar neck brace is placed on the neck for immobilization and protection purposes. Total procedure time is 1-2 hours.

What conditions can cervical fusion treat?

Cervical fusion may be recommended to treat:

  • Degenerative disc disease
  • Spinal stenosis
  • Spondylolisthesis

What are cervical fusion advantages?

Cervical fusion dramatically reduces pain because bone graft fuses with the existing bone to form a single solid bone that does not move. Compressed nerve roots are decompressed and have enough space after the procedure.

What is cervical fusion recovery like?

A 1-3 night hospital stay is usually required. Discomfort is monitored and infection risks are taken while the patient recovers in a private hospital room. their CONA specialist 2 weeks, 1, 3, 6, 8 and 12 months after surgery. Specific recovery instructions are given during the hospital stay and follow-up appointments. Total recovery time may take 10-12 months.

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