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Allograft Bone - Sterile bone derived from another human, which is used for grafting procedures.
Anterior - The front portion of the body.
Annulus - The outer, fibrous, ring-like portion of an intervertebral disc.
Anterolateral - Situated or occurring in front of and to the side.
Arthritis - Inflammation of a joint usually characterized by swelling, pain, and restriction of motion.
Arthopathy - Any disease or disorder involving a joint.
Arthroplasty - The surgical remodeling of a diseased or damaged joint.
Articular - Pertaining to a joint.
Autogenous Bone - Bone originating from the same individual; i.e. individual’s own bone.
Autograft Bone - Bone transplanted from one part to another part of the body in the same individual.
Backbone - see spine
Bioabsorbable Polymer – A substance, such as some plastics, that the human body can break down and absorb.
Biocomptability - Characteristic of some materials of do not producing a significant rejection or immune response.
Bone - The hard tissue that provides structural support to the body. It is primarily composed of hydroxyapatite crystals and collagen.
Bone Graft - Bone which is harvested from one location in a individual and placed in another individual (allograft bone) or in a different location in the same individual ( autogenous bone).
Bone Marrow - The tissue contained within the internal cavities of the bones. A major function of this tissue is to produce red blood cells.
Bone Plate - Usually a relatively thin metal device affixed to the bone via screws. Bone plates are used to immobilize bones or bone fragments to allow the healing process.
Bone Screw- A threaded metal device inserted into bone. Screws fix other medical devices, such as plates, to the bone.
Cancellous Bone - The spongy or honeycomb structure typically found at the ends of long bones.
Cartilage - The hard, white, thin layer of tissue that covers the head of the bones, typically next to a joint. This tissue allows motion with a minimum amount of friction.
Cervical - The region of the spine commonly called neck. This is made of the first seven vertebrae.
Coccyx - The region of the spine bellow the sacrum. It is also known as the tailbone.
Collagen - A fibrous protein which is a major constituent of connective tissue, such as skin, tendons, ligaments, cartilage and bones.
Comminuted Fracture - A fracture in which a bone is broken into more than two pieces. Often internal or external fixation devices are used to maintain a proper alignment of the fragments.
Cortical Bone - Dense bone in the outer surface of bone.
Disc (Intervertebral) – Elastic structure in between the bodies of spinal vertebrae.The disc consists of an outer annulus fibrosis enclosing an inner nucleus pulposus.
Disc Degeneration - Loss of the structural and functional integrity of the disc.
Discectomy - Surgical removal of the intervertebral disc. Only a part or the whole disc can be removed in discectomy.
Endogenous - Derived from the body.
Endoscope - A medical device (made of fiber optic tubes and video display instruments) used to view the internal body.
Endoscopy - Inspection of internal body structures or cavities using an endoscope.
Exogenous - Originating outside of the body.
Facet – A posterior structure of vertebra which articulates with a facet of an adjacent vertebra. Each vertebra has two superior and two inferior facets that allow motion in the spine.
Fatigue Fracture - A fracture that occurs in bones or in other materials as result of repeated stress.
Fixation - Immobilization of bone fragments or joints with implants in order to promote healing or fusion.
Foramen - A natural opening in bones.
Fracture - A disruption of the normal continuity of bone.
Fusion - Union or healing of bone.
Herniated Disc - Extrusion of part of the nucleus pulposus material through a defect in the annulus fibrosus.
Hook - For spinal applications, a metallic medical device used to connect spinal structures to a rod.
Iliac Bone - Part of the pelvic bone above the hip joint. Usually autogenous bone grafts are taken fron the iliac bone.
Intervertebral Disc - See disc.
Informed Consed - Consent of the patient who has received sufficient information to have surgery,receive medication, or participate in a clinical study.
J
Joint - Junction or articulation of two or more bones that allows motion between the bones.
Kyphosis - An abnormal increase in the normal kyphotic curvature of the thoracic spine.
Lamina – Anatomical portion of the vertebra. For each vertebra, 2 lamina connect the pedicles to the spinous process as part of the neural arch
Laminectomy – An operation for the removal of part of all the lamina of a vertebra. Commonly performed to remove an intervertebral disc protrusion or decompress a nerve root.
Lateral – Situated away from the midline of the body.
Ligament – A band of flexible, fibrosus connective tissue that is attached at the end of the bone near a joint. The main function of a ligament is to attach a bone to another, to provide stability of a joint and to prevent or limit some joint motion.
Lordosis - An abnormal increase in the normal lordotic curvature of the lumbar spine.
Lumbago – A “non medical” term to indicate pain in the lumbar region.
Lumbar – The lower part of the spine between the thoracic region and the sacrum. The lumbar spine consists of five vertebrae.
Medial – Situated closer to the midline of the body.
Neurosurgery –Surgical specialization involving the treatment of brain’s disorders, spinal cord and peripheral nerves.
Nerve root – the portion of a spinal nerve in close proximity to its origin from the spinal cord.
Neural arch – The bony arch of the posterior aspect of a vertebra that surrounds the spinal cord, also called vertebral arch.
Non Union – Failure of the healing process in a fracture or bony fusion
Nucleus pulposus – The jelly-like tissue situated in the center of an intervertebral disc.
Orthopeadics – The medical specialization that involves the preservation and restoration of the musclosketal system, including the treatment of spinal disorders and peripheral nerve lesions.
Orthopedics implants - Medical devices used to replace or provide fixation of bones or to replace an articulating surfaces of a joint.
Osteoporosis – A disorder that cause bone abnormally brittle and less dense, thus more likely to fracture.
Pedicle – The part of each side of the neural arch of a vertebra. It connects the lamina with the vertebral body.
Posterior – Located behind a structure.
Prosthesis – An artificial body part such as an artificial leg or arm. The term prosthesis also describes some implants used inside the body such as a hip or a knee replacement device.
Rod – In spine, a metal implant used to immobilize and aligne the spine.
Ruptured disc – See herniated disc.
Sacrum – A part of the spine that is also part of the pelvis. It articulates with the iliac at the sacroiliac joints and with the lumbar spine at the lombo sacral joint. The sacrum consists of five fused vertebrae with no intervertebral discs.
Sciatica – Term that indicates pain along the course of a sciatic nerve. Generally pain is experienced in the back of the thigh and below the knee.
Scoliosis – Lateral curvature of the spine.
Spinal canal – Bony channel formed by the intervertebral foramen of the vertebrae. The spinal canal contains the spinal cord and nerve roots.
Spinal column – See Spine.
Spinal cord – the longitudinal cord of nerve tissues enclosed in the spinal canal. The spinal cord is a center that coordinates many reflex actions independently of the brain.
Spinal disc – See disc.
Spinal fusion – A surgical procedure to permanently join bone by interconnecting 2 or more vertebrae. Fusion does not allow motion.
Spinal stenosis – Reduction of the spinal canal diameter. This condition may result in pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots.
Spine – The flexible bone column extending from the base of the skull to the tailbone. Generally it is made of 33 bones, known as vertebrae. The first 24 vertebrae are separated by discs known as intervertebral discs, and bound together by ligaments and muscles. Five vertebrae are fused together to form the coccyx. The spine is also referred to as the vertebral column, spinal column or backbone.
Spinous process – The portion of the vertebrae that protrudes posteriorly from the spinal column. The spinous process creates the bumps felt on the midline of the back.
Spondylolisthesis – A defect of bone between the superior and inferior facets. This condition results in varying degrees of displacement from two adjacent vertebrae. It is usually due to a developmental defect or as result of a fracture.
Stainless steel – Iron based metal containing chromium that is highly resistant to stain, rust and corrosion. Certain grades of stainless steel are commonly used for surgical implants and instruments.
Sterile – Free from living organisms.
Thoracic – The chest level region of the spine that is located between the cervical and the lumbar vertebrae. It consists of 12 vertebrae which are the attachment points for ribs.
Titanium – A metallic element used for surgical implants.
Vertebra – One of the 33 bones of the spinal column.
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