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Spinal Surgery Key Terms
Allograft A graft of tissue obtained from one person and implanted into another. Bone grafts are obtained from cadaver donors and are frozen and freeze dried until transplantation. Allograft, when used, is not coded separately.
Anterior Toward the front of the body.
Anterior-Lateral Toward the front and to one side of the body.
Arthroplasty Surgical joint replacement to reduce pain and improve function.
Autograft A graft of tissue taken from a patient and then reimplanted elsewhere in the same patient. An example is when one or more pieces of bone are removed from the iliac crest for transformation between the vertebrae.
Cauda Equina The long spinal nerves that emerge from the lower end of the spinal cord from the level of the first lumbar vertebra down to the coccyx.
Comorbidity A pre-existing condition which may affect the care or treatment for the current condition.
Complication A condition that arises during the care and/or treatment of a patient.
Compression The act of pressing together.
Decompression Removal of pressure.
Diagnosis A condition, illness, or injury, usually classified by the ICD-9-CM (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification).
Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) A classification of diagnoses which demonstrate similar resource consumption and hospital length of stay patterns. Used to determine hospital reimbursement.
Discectomy Surgical removal of an intervertebral disc.
Distraction The act of separating joints without dislodging them and without rupturing the tissues that connect them.
Facet Each of four joints formed above and below and on either side of each vertebra.
Facetectomy Surgical removal of one of the articular facets of a vertebra.
Foramen (Vertebral) The large circular opening in a vertebra that houses the spinal cord. The opening is formed by the vertebral body in front and an arch of bone at the back. The plural is foramina.
Foraminotomy Surgical removal of bone from around the edge of the intervertebral foramina.
Herniated Intervertebral Disc A disc that has ruptured and spread out of the capsule that encloses it into adjacent areas.
Iliac Crest The prominent bony ridge at the top of the hip bone that extends from the side of the body just below the waist and angles downwards towards the front of the body.
Instrumentation The use of rods, screws, plates, hooks, wires, bolts, etc. to correct and stabilize abnormalities of the spine.
Interbody The area between the body of two vertebra.
Internal Fixation Process of fastening together pieces of bone in a fixed position with wires, plates, screws, rods, and other aides.
Interspace The space between two adjacent vertebral bodies, which contains the intervertebral disc.
Kyphosis Abnormally increased convexity in the curvature of the thoracic spine as viewed from the side; hunchback.
Lamina Part of the back of the bony arch of each vertebra.
Laminectomy Excision of the lamina.
Laminotomy (hemilaminectomy) Cutting into the lamina. Because the lamina is composed of bone, cutting results in removal of part of the lamina, usually the lamina on one side of the vertebra.
Lateral Toward the side of the body.
Lordosis The anterior concavity in the curvature of the lumbar spine as viewed from the side. Often used to refer to abnormally increased curvature (hollow back, saddle back, swayback), and to the normal curvature (normal lordosis).
Myelopathy A general term denoting functional disturbances and/or pathological changes in the spinal cord; the term is often used to designate nonspecific lesions in contrast to inflammatory lesions (myelitis).
Non-Segmental Instrumentation Fixation at each end of the construct and may span several vertebral segments without attachment to the intervening segments.
Nucleus Pulposus A semifluid mass of fine white and elastic fibers that form the central portion of an intervertebral disc.
Osteophyte A bony outgrowth, usually branched in shape.
Osteophytectomy Surgical removal of osteophytes (bony outgrowths).
Posterior Toward the back of the body.
Posterior-Lateral Toward the back and to one side of the body.
Prone Lying face downward.
Sciatica A syndrome characterized by pain radiating from the back into the buttock and into the lower extremity along its posterior or lateral aspect. It is most commonly caused by prolapse of the intervertebral disc. The term is used to refer to pain anywhere along the sciatic nerve.
Scoliosis An appreciable lateral deviation in the normally straight vertical line of the spine.
Segmental Instrumentation Fixation at each end of the construct and at least one additional point of fixation to an intervening segment.
Spinal Arthrodesis/Fusion A spinal fusion/arthrodesis involves laying bone or bone substitute between relatively intact vertebrae in order to stabilize them.
Spinal Nerve Root The portion of a motor or sensory nerve that lies closest to the spinal cord.
Spondylitis Infammation of the vertebrae.
Spondylolisthesis Forward displacement of one vertebra over another, usually of the fifth lumbar over the body of the sacrum, or of the fourth lumbar over the fifth.
Stenosis Narrowing or stricture of a duct or canal.
Sublaminal Beneath a lamina.
Supine Lying on the back.
Transverse A direction that is at right angles to the long axis of a part.
Vertebral Body The solid circular anterior front portion of a vertebra.
Vertebral Corpectomy Resection of the vertebral body of a vertebra.
Vertebral Segment A single vertebra.
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