It's hard to imagine an inch sticking out. (but I've seen such bizarre things in some other extreme cases.)
My "I'm not a doctor" reaction to the question and fear you express is that the screws will be surrounded by fibrous tissue that will insulate them from surrounding tissues. If they've been that way since 2004 it's hard to imagine them causing a problem.
The screws are supposed to be 'bicortical' extending all the way into the hard cortical bone on the far side of the vertebrae. I've seen many pedical screws sticking out a small amount... but an inch?
I can't imagine the surgery being performed without flouroscopy... do you have an op report?
Mark
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