leslie lou
08-19-2006, 08:49 PM
i am having surgery on the 28th, i am scared to death. what does ACDF stand for??? thanks leslie:eek:
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ronginwalker
08-19-2006, 09:50 PM
Dear Leslie, I think it means, from reading the posts, Anterior Cervical Disc Fusion. If I'm wrong hopefully some of the other experienced people on this site will correct me. I haven't had the surgery yet but I will be having a myelogram & brain MRI with contrast the very day of your surgery before they schedule mine. Read alot of the posts here as there are some very knowledgeable people on here (not me!) that have lots of good advice. Especially ones by ThoreauFan, Humantuningfork, Sunshine221, Dennisgb, Dutchgirl & ICC. They have been through alot of what you are getting ready to go through and their posts are full of tips. Good luck! You will be in my prayers! :angel: Ginger
feelbad
08-20-2006, 11:11 AM
if i remeber right,i do believe that the "D" in there actually stands for decompression.but hey i could be wrong too,marcia
bdh7
08-20-2006, 11:20 AM
It stands for Anterior Cervical Discectomy with Fusion. Hope yours goes well! Donna
Jimmy B
08-20-2006, 12:15 PM
Hello Leslie,
ronginwalker is close to correct. ACDF stands for Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion. Basically, this is a surgery to repair a damaged disc in the neck area of the spine (this is where the term cervical comes into play). "Anterior" means that your doctor reaches the damaged disc from the front of your neck—a more convenient approach than from the back (posterior) of your neck. Discectomy literally means "cutting out the disc." In some cases it can also mean to remove part of the disk. Fusion means to join two or more bones together to stop movement between them and provide stability.
There is a ton of information regarding this type of surgery on the internet...
I Hope your surgery provides relief for you and your recovery is quick.
Good Luck - Jimmy B.
ronginwalker is close to correct. ACDF stands for Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion. Basically, this is a surgery to repair a damaged disc in the neck area of the spine (this is where the term cervical comes into play). "Anterior" means that your doctor reaches the damaged disc from the front of your neck—a more convenient approach than from the back (posterior) of your neck. Discectomy literally means "cutting out the disc." In some cases it can also mean to remove part of the disk. Fusion means to join two or more bones together to stop movement between them and provide stability.
There is a ton of information regarding this type of surgery on the internet...
I Hope your surgery provides relief for you and your recovery is quick.
Good Luck - Jimmy B.
SpineAZ
08-20-2006, 09:18 PM
ACDF
Anterior (through the front of the neck, I have a 2" incision on my neck which falls in a natural 'fold' of my neck)
Cervical (having to do with the cervical vertebrae)
Discectomy (removal of the disc from betwenn the vertebrae)
Fusion (fusing the spine - after removal of the disc bone is place where disc once was and usually some hardware is used - titanium screws and plates).
I know it sounds daunting but it is relatively common and you'd be surprised how many people around you have had fusion of either the upper or lower spine.
Karin
C5-C7 ACDF 5/18/06
Anterior (through the front of the neck, I have a 2" incision on my neck which falls in a natural 'fold' of my neck)
Cervical (having to do with the cervical vertebrae)
Discectomy (removal of the disc from betwenn the vertebrae)
Fusion (fusing the spine - after removal of the disc bone is place where disc once was and usually some hardware is used - titanium screws and plates).
I know it sounds daunting but it is relatively common and you'd be surprised how many people around you have had fusion of either the upper or lower spine.
Karin
C5-C7 ACDF 5/18/06
bdh7
08-20-2006, 11:14 PM
Leslie, I would suggest you spend some time with your surgeon going over the procedure, and the reasons why you need to have it done. I will be two weeks post-op tomorrow from the exact surgery that Karin had (although I think I have six screws instead of four)...I have had several surgeries, and this one, while not what I would call "easy", has also not been the most painful. The more you can read and learn about it, the less fear you'll have; also, in my opinion, knowing all the options and looking at the chances to improve your quality of life really help with the fear, also. Everyone's experience is different, but for me, posting questions here and knowing what to expect has helped me a lot...I didn't get much time with my surgeon beforehand, so I did most of my own research to prepare. If you have specific questions, ask away!
Take care...
Donna
ACDF C5-7 8/7/06
Take care...
Donna
ACDF C5-7 8/7/06
feelbad
08-21-2006, 09:49 AM
well thats just plain wierd.when i looked at my pre op papers my NS had sent out it actually calls it an anterior cervical decompression/fusion surgery that i was having.but it is the same exact thing that you all had.maybe they used to call it that or something.go figure.marcia
SpineAZ
08-24-2006, 01:16 AM
By removing the disc they, in a way, perform a decompression as the nerve is no longer compressed. I hope that helps.
Karin
C5-C7 ACDF 5/18/06
Karin
C5-C7 ACDF 5/18/06
disjointed
08-24-2006, 02:04 AM
i am having surgery on the 28th, i am scared to death. what does ACDF stand for??? thanks leslie:eek:
Hi Leslie;
I know it can be scary, but hang in there! Knowledge helps reduce the fear so asking questions is good.
I had mine 18 months ago and am doing well on the whole. In my experience the surgery was not bad at all! I went in one morning and left the next day. I stayed out of work 9 weeks (I have a pretty physical job and wanted to make sure I healed properly), then went back limited for a couple of months before being able to lift pretty much any weight I wanted.
But just know for most people the procedure really isn't painful (the surgery itself). And when you do feel some pain while recovering in the hospital, you can just pump in some more meds through your IV and go back to sleep...:yawn:
The recovery at home can be uncomfortable at times, but the drugs they give you can help. My doctor didn't require me to wear a neck brace at all, not even in the hospital. So that may have made my entire experience easier than some others.
Also note from what I've read there's a 95% success rate (measured I think by expected outcomes), so there's a very good chance it will improve your situation. This is unlike back surgery, where I've read the success rate is only around 50% to 60%.
Anyway, good luck! I'm sure you'll do great!
Kevin
P.S. - I had a single-level ACDF at C5-C6.
Hi Leslie;
I know it can be scary, but hang in there! Knowledge helps reduce the fear so asking questions is good.
I had mine 18 months ago and am doing well on the whole. In my experience the surgery was not bad at all! I went in one morning and left the next day. I stayed out of work 9 weeks (I have a pretty physical job and wanted to make sure I healed properly), then went back limited for a couple of months before being able to lift pretty much any weight I wanted.
But just know for most people the procedure really isn't painful (the surgery itself). And when you do feel some pain while recovering in the hospital, you can just pump in some more meds through your IV and go back to sleep...:yawn:
The recovery at home can be uncomfortable at times, but the drugs they give you can help. My doctor didn't require me to wear a neck brace at all, not even in the hospital. So that may have made my entire experience easier than some others.
Also note from what I've read there's a 95% success rate (measured I think by expected outcomes), so there's a very good chance it will improve your situation. This is unlike back surgery, where I've read the success rate is only around 50% to 60%.
Anyway, good luck! I'm sure you'll do great!
Kevin
P.S. - I had a single-level ACDF at C5-C6.