Nonunion Spine Fracture Repair at Mercy
Mercy Medical Center, in Baltimore, Maryland, offers comprehensive care for a wide range of spine conditions, including physician expertise provided by orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons.
The experts at Mercy in Baltimore are dedicated to diagnosing and treating spine disorders. Patients from Baltimore and across the Mid-Atlantic region seek our surgeons’ expertise when suffering from chronic back pain. Our surgeons are experienced in correcting previously failed fusions or nonunion fractures.
What are Nonunion Fractures?
Spinal fusion is a traditional surgical treatment used to reduce chronic back pain and correct instability and deformity of the spine. A fusion between two spinal vertebrae is similar to a weld between two pieces of metal. After a successful spinal fusion, the two vertebrae are united into one immovable piece of bone. Any joints or discs in the area no longer move, reducing or eliminating pain.
Spinal fusion may be used to treat the following conditions:
- Degenerative disc disease
- Disc herniation
- Scoliosis (adolescent, congenital, degenerative)
Mercy surgeons provide expertise in treating and identifying failed fusions, which may result in chronic pain. Solid fusion typically occurs within three months to a year and is monitored with monthly post-operative X-rays. An X-ray may show substantial new fusion bone, but that does not mean the two vertebrae actually have fused into one piece of bone. As a result, it can be thought that a solid fusion has been achieved, when in fact, motion remains and can be one cause of the patient’s persistent pain.
How is a Nonunion Fracture recognized and corrected?
Mercy surgeons employ innovative techniques to identify nonunion fractures using CT scans. A failed fusion, or nonunion, is treated by improving the biology and biomechanics of the healing environment. Bone morphogenic protein is commonly used to stimulate the local bone cells and rapidly produce new bridging bone. While the bones are healing it is important that they be restricted from moving. Screw implants are used as a form of internal brace to hold the vertebra still while the bone healing takes place. While the screw implants may be removed after healing, this is rarely performed as the implants are generally painless and pose no risk.