Posterior Spinal fusion surgery

I thought you might like a little information on what posterior spinal fusion surgery is all about.

If a child's spinal curvature is greater than 40 to 50 degrees, doctors typically recommend surgery to correct and to fuse the vertebrae along the spinal curve. Surgery may also be necessary for curves that occur in certain areas of the spine or for adults with scoliosis who suffer from pain.
Scoliosis surgery is one of the longest and most complicated orthopedic surgical procedures performed on children. The operation takes approximately six hours. Hospitalization can last several (usually around six) days, and activities are restricted for several months.
Surgery is most commonly performed through incisions in the back (referred to as a posterior surgical approach). For less common, very rigid, or severe curves, additional surgery may be required through the front or side of the body.

Posterior Spinal Fusion surgeons often use a modification of a two-rod system (or instrumentation) for spinal fusions, following a procedure that was invented in 1984 by two French surgeons named Ives Cotrel and Jean Dubosset. Two metal rods and hooks or screws are attached to the spine to provide as much correction as possible. Small pieces of the hip or rib bones are then grafted to the vertebra so a portion of the spine fuses (heals together) to hold the correction in place. The patient's ability to bend or move may be altered minimally.
The instrumentation is left in the body, even after the bones have fused, to avoid another surgery. In addition to supporting the fused area, instrumentation also applies force to the spine to help correct the deformity. This surgery may straighten the spinal curve considerably.