spinal fusion, the fixation of an unstable segment of the spine. It is sometimes accomplished by skeletal traction or immobilization of the patient in a body cast but most frequently by a surgical procedure. Operative ankylosis may be performed in the treatment of spinal fractures or after diskectomy or laminectomy for the correction of a herniated vertebral disk. Surgical fusion involves the stabilization of a spinal section with a bone graft or synthetic device introduced through a posterior incision in the lumbar region. In the less frequently fused cervical region, the incision may be anterior or posterior. Also called spondylosyndesis.
