- Anatomy of The Spine
- Back Pain in Children
- Caring for your Spine
- Emerging Spinecare Trends
- Evaluation of Spinal Disorders
- Exercise and The Spine
- Intervention - Spinal Disorders
- Intervertebral Disc
- Non Surgical Options
- Nutrition and Spinecare
- Options for Spine Treatments
- Pregnancy and Back Pain
- Prevalence of Spine Disorders
- Sleep and the Spine
- Spinecare Introduction
- Spinehealth and Disease
- Surgical Interventions
- Treatment with Medications
- Understanding Back Pain
Spinecare Topics
Surgical Interventions
Surgical Interventions
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Surgical Interventions
Discectomy
The term discectomy refers to a procedure used to remove a portion of a disc to relieve pressure on a nerve, to reduce pressure on the spinal cord or other adjacent tissue. During a traditional discectomy, the spine surgeon will remove a portion of a disc or the entire disc that is causing or contributing to pain and/or neurological damage. Typically, the portion of the disc, which lies adjacent to the compromised nerve or spinal cord is removed. In the lumbar spine the surgical entrance to the spine is through a small incision in the back. In the cervical spine the easiest way to get to the spine is from the front side. Whether the surgery is in the neck or low back, the surgery is performed while the patient is under general anesthesia.
For lumbar surgery, the patient is usually placed in a face down position. The incision is made over the lumbar region. Muscle tissue is retracted or removed from the bone over the area to be operated on. In most cases some bone and part of the spinal ligaments have to be removed to create a window that the surgeon can use to visualize and gain access to the intervertebral disc without damaging neurological and other adjacent tissue. In many cases, part of the damaged portion of the disc is left between adjacent vertebra to serve as a spacer and to act as a shock absorber. The open discectomy is one of the most common surgical treatments used for ruptured herniated discs in the lumbar spine. The procedure has been performed on hundreds of thousands of patients over the last 60 years. However, not all patients who have a herniated disc are candidates for the procedure.
Microdiscectomy
The term microdiscectomy refers to the use of a microscopic approach to disc surgery. In some patients, the size and location of a disc herniation will allow for the surgeon to make a smaller incision and limit the amount of herniated disc material that needs to be removed during surgery. Not all herniated discs can be operated in this fashion due to the anatomy of the region as well as the size and location of the disc herniation. In some cases the disc herniation is in an area that is not easy for the surgeon to reach, therefore, an open surgical discectomy is more appropriate.
Percutaneous Discectomy
Percutaneous discectomy was first introduced in the field of spine surgery during the late 1980s. To perform this procedure on the low back, the surgeon usually makes a 1-_- inch incision. The percutaneous discectomy is performed using a surgical probe, approximately the width of a ballpoint pen. The surgeon can maneuver the end of the probe near the herniated disc. At the tip of the probe, there are tiny scissors, which can be used to cut and remove select portions of herniated disc tissue. Some procedures are performed with fiberoptic cameras that enable the surgeon to guide the probe to the precise position. Once positioned, the camera can be replaced with cutting blades. Not all patients qualify for a percutaneous microdiscectomy. It is not a good procedure for somebody who has already had back surgery.
The term discectomy refers to a procedure used to remove a portion of a disc to relieve pressure on a nerve, to reduce pressure on the spinal cord or other adjacent tissue. During a traditional discectomy, the spine surgeon will remove a portion of a disc or the entire disc that is causing or contributing to pain and/or neurological damage. Typically, the portion of the disc, which lies adjacent to the compromised nerve or spinal cord is removed. In the lumbar spine the surgical entrance to the spine is through a small incision in the back. In the cervical spine the easiest way to get to the spine is from the front side. Whether the surgery is in the neck or low back, the surgery is performed while the patient is under general anesthesia.
For lumbar surgery, the patient is usually placed in a face down position. The incision is made over the lumbar region. Muscle tissue is retracted or removed from the bone over the area to be operated on. In most cases some bone and part of the spinal ligaments have to be removed to create a window that the surgeon can use to visualize and gain access to the intervertebral disc without damaging neurological and other adjacent tissue. In many cases, part of the damaged portion of the disc is left between adjacent vertebra to serve as a spacer and to act as a shock absorber. The open discectomy is one of the most common surgical treatments used for ruptured herniated discs in the lumbar spine. The procedure has been performed on hundreds of thousands of patients over the last 60 years. However, not all patients who have a herniated disc are candidates for the procedure.
Microdiscectomy
The term microdiscectomy refers to the use of a microscopic approach to disc surgery. In some patients, the size and location of a disc herniation will allow for the surgeon to make a smaller incision and limit the amount of herniated disc material that needs to be removed during surgery. Not all herniated discs can be operated in this fashion due to the anatomy of the region as well as the size and location of the disc herniation. In some cases the disc herniation is in an area that is not easy for the surgeon to reach, therefore, an open surgical discectomy is more appropriate.
Percutaneous Discectomy
Percutaneous discectomy was first introduced in the field of spine surgery during the late 1980s. To perform this procedure on the low back, the surgeon usually makes a 1-_- inch incision. The percutaneous discectomy is performed using a surgical probe, approximately the width of a ballpoint pen. The surgeon can maneuver the end of the probe near the herniated disc. At the tip of the probe, there are tiny scissors, which can be used to cut and remove select portions of herniated disc tissue. Some procedures are performed with fiberoptic cameras that enable the surgeon to guide the probe to the precise position. Once positioned, the camera can be replaced with cutting blades. Not all patients qualify for a percutaneous microdiscectomy. It is not a good procedure for somebody who has already had back surgery.
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