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Member
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Paradise
Posts: 855
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Paradise
Posts: 855
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moonstar54
Hi Jstrey............
I had a 2 level ACDF in Dec 2011. I never even heard of a bone stimulator when I had my neck surgery so, I never used one!
I did use one when I had my 4 level Lumbar fusion ( DLIF) Dec 2013 that my surgeon ordered. It's called.........
DJO Global CMF Empi Spinalogic bone growth stimulator.
Their rep brought mine to me while I was still in the hospital and showed me how to use it. The charge to my insurance company was 5K and I had no out of pocket cost. I asked him what I do with it when I'm done using it which was wearing it for about 9 months or when all the batteries are used that came with it (10), I was to wear it for 30 minutes every day. It had a timer which made it easy. He said disposing of it is in the information book that came with it.
Weather or not it works I don't know & neither does my surgeon when I asked him. Then I asked, then how do we tell if I'm fused or not & he kind of blew me off. Then I asked if a CT Scan can show if I'm fused & he said yea & I asked if it's a better view he said maybe or yea...... so I never got a straight answer to this day.
I wish someone knew how to see if a fusion has fused???
Well, those are my thoughts. What are yours???
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They are just sort of assumed to be fused unless proven otherwise. In patients with prolonged post-op pain, then sometime down the road, months later, the unmentionable thought (to your surgeon) would be delayed or non union for which a bone-stim unit might be thought of, therapeutically. All insurances are different but general terms are that delayed union occurs after 3 months and non union after 9 months. Understand that both terms are naughty to your surgeon and he won't be much interested in admitting that his perfect surgery could have such an outcome! Diagnostic studies that would suggest either would include a flexion/extension xray, dynamic fluoroscopy of the same to prove or disprove excessive motion (defined as any motion in a fusion-hence the definition) and CT to look for bony bridging across the prospective fusion site, however motion is NOT evaluated with CT. MRI is not generally of much, if any, value when looking for bony union. Hope this helps!
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