Is c6-c7 surgery dangerous

Answer 1

Any spinal surgery is dangerous, but how risky it is depends on the type of doctor performing the operation, the damage being repaired, the type of procedure being done, how good the hospital is, etc.

I've personally had fusions at C5/C6/C7, with the bone graft coming from my right hip. You shouldn't, however, even be considering a cervical spine operation unless it's absolutely necessary, i.e., you're experiencing extreme left arm pain, partial paralysis, etc. Any spinal op shouldn't be considered lightly.

For me, my surgeon messed up one of the screws in the plate spanning the vertebrae, as the screw was actually screwed through a disk and then into the bone (just the last couple of threads). I'm stuck with it, as there's too much bone growth over the plate and screws to remove it at this point without high risk of damage. A single level fusion or diskectomy is much less complicated.

Make sure they're talking about an anterior (frontal) entrance and not a posterior (rear) entrance. Posterior entrances to the cervical spine are extremely complicated, dangerous, and rarely performed unless it's the only option.

If it's deemed absolutely necessary, they'll usually give you a choice between using cadaver bone or bone material harvested from the pelvic area. Though using your own bone material will extend your recovery another few months (they have to really stretch the muscles and tendons to get to the pelvic bone), cadaver bone has its own risks, even if the recovery is much faster. When I had my operation in '96, it was though that disease couldn't be transmitted from cadaver bone to the recipient; they've since found out that's not the case.

The bottom line is that it should be the last resort, when all other treatments have failed or just aren't cutting it anymore. When done correctly, it'll fix the problem; if you've got any paralysis, it'll be gone when you wake up from surgery if it goes well. But nothing is guaranteed, so again, make sure it's absolutely necessary.