Questions posted in the Neurology and Neurosurgery Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Question Title: Thoracic spine operation

Forum: Neurology Forum
Topic: Thoracic


my friend has just found out that she has 4 discs in thoracic spine t6-10 that are pressing into her spinal cord. she has been in pain for 5 years in the torso never in th spine. she has been diagnosed with everthing from
pancreatitis to ms all of which have been proven wrong. she has had opersations for gall blader, appendix, and numerous tests including the bowel snd stomach -all tests negative. her pain is center to right side of torso. she also has a pulsating in chest area that you can see with the naked eye when the pain is severe, the pulsating is very strong.(she was tested for annuryisms negative). after going to 3 back doctors during these five years, they all said the pain in the stomach area could not be coming from the spine. now after aan mri that showed the discs sticking in spinal cord, they want to operate. they will enter through the side taking a rib to fix the spine. my question, is this the correct way to go and what are the chances in this operation. they will have 4 surgons in there. thank you.

Dear Jackiejs:

Sorry to hear about your friend. When one has compression of the spinal cord, the nerves involved are compromised and whatever area they are from or going to will show pain and/or muscle loss. So, one can have pain in the abdomen, chest, etc. and the major area of compromise is the spinal cord. The approach used for surgery usually depends on the training of the neurosurgeon, the area involved, and where in the spinal cord the lesion is located. So, for the surgeon involved, the approach is best, but for someone else, the approach might be different so it is hard to comment on. The success of the operation is very dependent on the surgeon, how much damage has already been done to the nerves, and the rigor of the rehab. So, the outcome is very dependent of each patient and their lesion. Usually, surgery is the last effort in pain management. Most of the time, the outcome is good but remember it is variable. I hope that things work out for your friend.

Sincerely,

CCF Neuro[P] MD

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