Spinal Cord Injury Surgery

A Spinal cord injurycan be a trauma that can be either life threatening or life altering. It might require a treatment suited to the level and severity of an injury. After a traumatic injury, some individuals might consider a spinal cord injuryas an immediate requirement. Whereas, some patients might need to wait for some time maybe weeks or months altogether after the initial injury due to other health concerns.

There might also be situations where loved ones might need to take a decision on behalf of a patient. As thepatient might be a minor, incapacitated or simply may not be in a condition to take a decision.Much of the decision about whether to undergo spinal cord surgery will depend on variables like age, overall health, location of injury and how the symptoms affect day-to-day life.The decision also depends on the extent of damage to the spinal cord. It depends on the fact whether the injury is complete or incomplete.A complete injury leads to no movement or feeling below the level of the injury. In the case of an incomplete injury there is still some movement below the spot of the injury.

  • Procedure
Surgery can be performed only after a patient is declared medically stable.It is recommended for removal of any foreign bodies, bone pieces, clots, herniated disks, tumours, fractured vertebrae or anything that is putting pressure on the spine. Surgery is recommended to take care of any pain or deformity in the spine. The procedures involved can be:

Stabilization – Spinal stabilisation involves removal of bone fragments and realigning the vertebrae back to its old shape. This procedure can be performed in the first 72 hours or can be delayed till the body hasn’t stabilised.

Fusion – Spinal Fusion is done when the vertebrae in the spinal column is unstable. Surgeons can use metal rods, plates, wires and screws. Surgeons can also do bone crafting by picking small pieces of bones from the hip or the knee region.
Recovery and Costs

The primary objective of a surgery done for a Spinal cord injury is stabilisation. Then what follows is long term rehabilitation process. Hospital stays in case of spinal injuries can be long and physical therapy can be a continuous ongoing process. In India, the same surgery can start around 8000 USD and upwards. Whereas, the entire procedure in USA can cost around500000 USD and upwards.

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