Have osteoporosis--if no endoscopy then what?

[Kirisuchina]

I am living in Baku, Azerbaijan and the only access I have to information is by internet or travel, so am extremely grateful for this forum and everyone's input.

I had a brief visit with a Dubai neurosurgeon who recommended endoscopic ADR surgery but he did not know that I have osteoporosis. I don't actually have a formal diagnosis but understood that the C6-7 disc is shot. Am currently awaiting a second opinion from the Harley Street Clinic in London, but it will be through my insurance company and I won't be able to talk with them. I have uploaded the MRI to Dropbox and scanned my BMD.

Questions: What possible treatment is there if I can't have surgery? If I can, keyhole surgery sounds like the way to go, right? Can I find a surgeon in UK or Dubai who is well-qualified and experienced in the procedure? And the artificial disk of choice is M-6, correct?

[annapurna]

To take this in several pieces: First, some patients have had ADR with osteopenia to mild osteoporosis and have had various types of bone cement to address the weakened bone. You should be able to find information about that here. Sometimes it works and sometime it doesn't. It has also led to further complications, so it isn't risk-free by any stretch. You seem, by my memory, to be into mild osteoporosis but I might be wrong about the degree. Certainly, I'd do what I could to address that prior to surgery by diet, exercise, etc.

If you can't get ADR, a fusion of a single level is possible. You'll lose flexibility and might have adjacent level problems but it isn't impossible to fuse, even with osteoporosis.

I've never heard of a keyhole surgery approach. I'd be really careful with endoscopic or keyhole procedures as either fusion or ADR require a fair bit of room for the surgeon to access the spine. If I had my preferences, I'd be more interested in finding a really good surgeon to deal with the osteoporosis and C6-7 and give up on a endoscopic approach or naming a specific ADR type. I will still hold to the statistics that the number one method to ensure a failed ADR is choosing the wrong surgeon.

[Harrison]

Hi Kiri.

In case you did not read this mult-page topic, pls see:

http://www.adrsupport.org/forums/f51...porosis-10179/

There's a ton of information therein. Please read this carefully.

[Harrison]

Kiri,

A follow-up question: how severe is your winging of the scapula? I had a bit of this in 2004/2005, and I recall one of my docs (1 of 22 I saw over two years) trying to get a better "read" on my long thoracic nerve. The EMG hurt like hell and provided no diagnostic path or road to wellness.

Anyway, in my case, it was mycoplasma pneumonia that infected my body; quite possibly starting out in the throat, spreading to the brachial plexus, etc.

If your winging is "sudden" that is strange. Does this correspond or match up with your radiology studies?

[Kirisuchina]

I had MRIs of neck and shoulder. The shoulder one (translated perhaps roughly) says: thickening and arthrosis of acromioclavicular joint; the supraspinatus tendon is thinned with horizontal hernia". I first noticed the scapula bulging in January, shortly after a painful night of neck pain, which was very unusual as I've had little pain at all, amazingly. Perhaps it was because I had just changed health clubs though no new weight machines, or because I routinely carry multiple bags of groceries across town and up four flights of steps.

The scapula has actually improved somewhat in the last week. How was the mycoplasma pneumonia diagnosed?

[Harrison]

Kiri, it was PCR that was the right tool for the job. It took more than 18 months for me to literally "beg and navigate" through the process for this test. I am not suggesting/projecting an infectious etiology in your case; just answering your question.

What are your next steps? What is the condition of your cervical spinal discs and spine?

Annapurna: nice posts as usual. Thank you.

[Kirisuchina]

Sorry but what is PCR? I have had some bronchial issues…
Currently I am waiting to hear the results of a consultation that a neurosurgeon from the Harley St. Clinic in London is to give to my insurance company. (I had requested a Skype appointment for a second opinion but somehow got cut out of the picture…). Hopefully the insurance company has passed along to the doc my uploaded MRI and BMD test results. I should hear their verdict (on surgery or no) this week. Meanwhile I would like to know what possible treatments there are if surgery is out. I reviewed the osteoporosis thread here but don't see it.

[Harrison]

Kiri, PCR is name of the technology (polymerase chain reaction) that supercedes culture-based tests to detect and characterize bacterial infections.

The osteo topic has multiple pages, you have to click through the four. I believe you'll be interested in 03-25-2010 topic I posted on natural supplementation...