Spine

About the x-ray of Luigi Mangione’s account on X / Twitter

Four screws in spine.

Zeeshan Sardar, an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Columbia University Medical Center, said the image is of a “lumbar spine with posterior spinal instrumentation, possible fusion” — a procedure involving screws or rods to stabilize the spine. He said it is typically performed for spondylolisthesis — a condition where a vertebra shifts forward — as well as nerve compression or sciatica if a lot of bone removal is required.

It is done less commonly for infections and recurring disk herniations, he said.