Letter: A

Bone tissue taken from the patient at the time of surgery. This is usually used for fusing vertebrae together during spinal surgery. The bone is often taken from the ilium of the pelvis.

Blood donated by a patient prior to surgery and given back to them at the time of their surgery.

Pertaining to the patient’s own body.

Inflammation resulting in adherence of nerve rootlets within the dura (a sheath containing the spinal cord and/or nerve roots).

A substance that reduces irritation, inflammation, and/or injury to tissues of the body.

Medications which prevent or delay the clotting of blood.

A surgical procedure where the lumbar spine is fused from the front of the patient’s body.

A surgical procedure on the cervical spine (neck) where one or more discs are removed from the front (anterior) and replaced with bone graft. A plate and screws are often placed as well to stabilize the level while a fusion takes place.

The front of a structure.

The tough, outer portion of the disc composed of multiple fibrocartilaginous rings. These rings firmly attach to the vertebra above and below the disc and help to hold these segments together. Approximately 70% of the total disc is composed of the annulus fibrosus. Although this structure is typically torn with a disc herniation, it is not removed during the procedure of a microdiscectomy.