Alternatives to spinal fusion.
Techniques have changed significantly with the advent of less invasive surgical techniques for disc excision and spinal fusion; these include the development of rigid internal fixation devices using multiple points of fixation and the better knowledge of the biology of spinal fusion. Despite these improvements in technology, room exists for alternative forms of surgical treatment because of significant failures particularly related to spinal fusions.
Professor and Chief, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
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Kostuik
D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D007403:Intervertebral Disc; D008422:Materials Testing; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D012756:Sheep; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000601:surgery*