The nurse is employed in the neurosurgeon's office assisting the physician in teaching

Question

The nurse is instructing a client who is very anxious stating, "What will happen if the conservative treatment for the degenerative changes in my spine does not help my lumbar pain." The nurse is most correct to turn the teaching to which surgical procedure? A) A diskectomy
B) A laminectomy
C) A spinal fusion
D) Aggressive traction

Answer 1

C
Feedback:
The nurse is most correct to provide teaching on a spinal fusion aimed to stabilize the vertebrae weakened by degenerative joint changes such as osteoarthritis and by a laminectomy. A diskectomy provides pain relief by the removal of a ruptured disk. A laminectomy is the removal of the posterior arch of a vertebra to expose the spinal cord. From this point, the surgeon can remove a herniated disk, tumor, bone fragments, etc. Aggressive traction is not a surgical option.