Scoliosis surgery
Some cool Intra-operative photos of a scoliosis surgery - swipe it! This young lady was 16 at the time when a spinal fusion was performed to correct her 53 degree scoliosis curve. 2 rods, 17 screws, and 2 plates were implanted in order to fixate the deformity. Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure used to correct problems of the spine (vertebrae), such as scoliosis, fractures, and degenerative disk diseases. The basic idea is to fuse together the vertebrae so that they heal into a single, solid bone. Hooks and screws are applied to the spine to anchor long rods, ensuring the correction of the curvature and its stability over time in a way that redistributes the stresses on the bones and keeps them in proper alignment while the bones of the spine fuse. The operation eliminates motion between vertebrae and prevents the stretching of nerves and surrounding ligaments and muscles.
