At age 50, in my lumbar spine, I developed severe L4-L5 facet degeneration and impingement which resulted from degenerative osteoarthritis of the joints and breakdown of cartilage along with spinal stenosis at the L5-S1 lumbar level. This condition is extremely disabling with difficulty in walking causing numbness, neurological deficits and weakness down the legs.
In December of 2010, I underwent a spine operation involving a L4-L5 posterolateral fusion, L5-S1 bilateral lateral recess and foraminal decompression, a hemi-laminectomy to open up the inner shell of the lumbar spine. The surgeon used morcelized, local auto graft bone graft transplanted into the laminar defect. Bone graft material is usually taken from the hip or harvested from a cadaver bone bank and packed along the lateral gutters on both sides of the lumbar sacral areas. In order to gain access to the spine, surgeons can use either an posterior or anterior approach during the operation.
To add stability and success in a spinal fusion, pedicle screws, a crosslink and rod instrumentation are inserted in the posterior cervical or lumbar spine for added stability, to maintain correction and balance. The x-ray images below show the placement of where my titanium pedicle screws were as they were being implanted into my lower lumbar spine at the time of my operation on 12/22/10:
To add stability and success in a spinal fusion, pedicle screws, a crosslink and rod instrumentation are inserted in the posterior cervical or lumbar spine for added stability, to maintain correction and balance. The x-ray images below show the placement of where my titanium pedicle screws were as they were being implanted into my lower lumbar spine at the time of my operation on 12/22/10:
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