With the advancement of spinal motion preservation, is spine fusion surgery becoming obsolete?
An: Spinal fusion is indicated for trauma, deformities, and instabilities. Spinal fusion for degenerative conditions may become less used but certainly not obsolete. Even with the advent of artificial disk replacement and motion preservation technologies, many patients with specific pathoanatomy are better treated by spinal fusion. For example, lumbar artificial disk replacement is indicated for diskogenic low back pain; however, if the posterior facet joints are significantly arthritic, fusion is a better option. Phillips: Absolutely not. Spinal fusion remains the preferred surgical choice where significant spinal instability or deformity exists. In addition, in many cases of painful motion segment degeneration there are contraindications to motion preservation technologies. In situations where advanced degeneration is present, attempting to restore motion that has long been lost is unlikely to be advantageous and may even be detrimental. In this situation, creating motion that is of
