Minimally Invasive Spine Procedures
Description
Spine surgery is traditionally “open surgery.”, which means that the area being operated on is opened with a long incision to allow the surgeon to view and access the anatomy. In recent years technological advances have allowed more back and neck conditions to be treated with minimally invasive surgical techniques.
The criteria for minimally invasive spine surgery are the same as those for traditional open surgery.
There are numerous minimally invasive techniques. The common thread between all of them is that they use smaller incisions and cause less muscle damage.
Minimally invasive techniques can be used for common procedures like lumbar decompression and spinal fusion.
What is Minimally Invasive Spine Procedures?
Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS)
Benefits of Minimally Invasive Spine Procedures
Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) accomplishes the same goal as open surgery, but through smaller incisions.
- With long incisions, there is more associated muscle damage.
- Because the incision is smaller with minimally invasive spine surgery, it avoids significant damage to the muscles surrounding the spine. Typically, this results in less pain after surgery and a faster recovery. However, because you are operating through a smaller opening, the learning curve for minimally invasive spine surgery is longer, so it is technically more challenging for the surgeon.
