Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

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Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (MIS) When compared to traditional open surgery that involves lengthy incisions, minimally invasive spine surgery approaches can be faster, safer, and require significantly less recovery time. Often, these surgeries can be performed using incisions only a few millimeters in size. By minimizing damage to muscles and soft tissues during surgery, minimally invasive surgery techniques offer several benefits, including: better cosmetic results due to smaller incisions, reduced scar tissue, less blood loss, shorter time under anesthesia, decreased risk of muscle damage (as the muscle is simply moved aside instead of cut), faster recovery, and less need for rehabilitation. Frequently Asked Questions What conditions are generally treated in a minimally invasive manner? A variety of conditions can be effectively treated using a minimally invasive approach, including: degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, sacroiliac (SI joint) dysfunction, vertebral compression fractures, lumbar spinal stenosis, and lumbar spondylolisthesis. How does Minimally Invasive Surgery work? Traditionally, spine surgeons utilized extensive incisions to perform surgeries, often requiring patients to stay in the hospital for days or even weeks post-operation. Patients undergoing these traditional surgeries faced higher risks of postoperative complications, including infections, prolonged hospital stays, excessive bleeding, and increased pain following surgery. Advances in technology now allow spine surgeons to perform procedures in a much more minimally invasive fashion using small incisions, resulting in less muscle and soft tissue damage. Consequently, patients typically leave the hospital sooner, experience less blood loss, and enjoy a quicker recovery. What are some of the common procedures treated with minimally invasive techniques? Disc herniations: If you are a candidate, your spine surgeon can perform your surgery using a minimally invasive technique with a small tube and minimal incision. This procedure, often conducted through a 22mm tube, is known as minimally invasive tubular retraction (MITR). It involves progressively dilating the soft tissues rather than cutting them. Dr. Shashank uses these tubes to displace muscles, enabling him to operate through a small incision without fully exposing the spine. After the surgery, the tubular retractor is removed, allowing the dilated tissues to return to their natural position. By employing this minimally invasive strategy, recovery is expedited, pain medication requirements are reduced, infection risks are lowered, and you can return to your favorite activities more quickly. Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: For eligible patients, the spine surgeon may perform decompression surgery through a small tube with a minimal incision, also involving the MITR method. This technique allows for the gradual dilation of soft tissue rather than extensive cutting. By navigating around the muscles with tubes, the surgery is performed through a small incision without broad exposure of the surgical area. Once complete, the tissues return to their place, leading to quicker recovery, less need for pain medication post-surgery, reduced infection risk, and a faster return to daily activities. Lumbar Fusion: If you are a suitable candidate, your spine surgeon may conduct a lumbar fusion through very small incisions on your lower back. Utilizing these narrow openings, Dr. Shashank will place percutaneous screws and rods to fuse and stabilize your spine. This percutaneous placement (meaning through the skin) is guided by x-ray to ensure accuracy. Traditionally, lumbar fusion surgeries required significant dissection of muscle and soft tissue, but with minimally invasive techniques, patients generally experience faster recoveries, shorter hospital stays, less blood loss, and a quicker return to their routines. Lateral Lumbar Fusion: Candidates for this procedure may have their lateral lumbar fusion performed through a very small incision on the side of the abdomen. After the removal of the diseased disc, Dr. Shashank will insert a metal or plastic cage filled with bone graft. This step may involve adjusting your position before placing the percutaneous screws and rods to aid in stabilizing your spine accurately. Utilizing minimally invasive procedures, patients can expect quicker recovery times, fewer hospital days, reduced blood loss, and an earlier return to their activities. Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Fusion: If the SI joint is the source of your low back pain, you might qualify for a minimally invasive SI joint fusion. This outpatient procedure involves the careful placement of metal screws across the SI joint, allowing the bones to fuse. This fusion helps alleviate pain due to excessive movement and is typically performed through a very small incision, permitting most patients to go home the same day as their surgery.