MINIMALLY INVASIVE SPINE SURGERY

Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) is a term that encompasses several types of surgical procedures. Minimally invasive techniques are preferred by Dr. Mataragas because they typically result in less blood loss, infections, lower postoperative pain levels, and decreased scarring. Patients can generally leave the hospital the same day they receive their surgery to recover in the comfort of their own homes.

Cervical corpectomy surgery is performed on the front of the cervical spine using a microscope and fluoroscopic guidance. During a single-level cervical corpectomy, the vertical body, along with the discs located above and below the vertical body, are extracted. 

Upon removal of the disks, the surgeon carefully lifts bone and/or ligaments up off the spinal cord to relieve pressure, he then places a structural cage in the empty space to provide stability. In some instances, plates and screws may need to be inserted into the spine to further stabilize it making it a spinal fusion.

This minimally invasive spine surgery is ideal for someone with nerve irritation or compression due to a slipped or herniated disc. This procedure is used to remove the damaged portion of a herniated disc, and is most effective for treating intense pain that radiates down the patient’s arms or legs. 

Surprisingly, this minimally invasive procedure is less helpful for treating actual back or neck pain. For those patients, Dr. Mataragas may recommend more conservative pain-relief alternatives such as lifestyle changes or physical therapy. 

Spinal stenosis often presents once blockages start to narrow the spinal column or block an intervertebral foramen. Conditions that cause spinal stenosis include degenerative arthritis of the spine (spondylosis), cysts, tumors, congenital issues, degeneration of the intervertebral discs, or an enlargement of a nearby ligament. 

To lessen the patient’s symptoms, the surgeon may perform a minimally invasive procedure called a foraminotomy. During surgery, the doctor will make a small incision on the back or neck and expose the damaged vertebrae. Once that’s done, they will then surgically widen the intervertebral foramen and remove any blockages that are present. 

Laminectomy is a minimally invasive surgery during which the surgeon creates space by removing the lamina – the back part of the vertebra that covers your spinal canal. Also known as spinal decompression surgery. The objective of a laminectomy is to expand your spinal canal to relieve pressure on the nerves or spinal cord. 

A constricting lamina is often seen in patients with arthritic spines, this pressure is due to bony overgrowths (bone spurs) inside the spinal canal. Dr. Mataragas might recommend laminectomy when more conservative treatments aren’t relieving your symptoms, or if your symptoms are more significant or dramatically worsening. 

Dr. Mataragas may opt for lumbar artificial disc replacement surgery, or lumbar disk anthroplasty, to treat a patient with chronic, significant low back pain resulting from degenerative disc disease. Lumber disc arthroplasty is typically performed in situations when a minimum of six months of nonsurgical treatments hasn’t worked, and the pain is limiting one’s ability to function in everyday life. 

During surgery, the painful spinal disc is replaced with a special device that mimics the disc’s natural movement. The goal of an artificial disc replacement is to stabilize the spinal segment and reduce pain by minimizing aggravating micro-motion and inflammation. 

Microdecompression surgery alone or a decompression surgery combined with a spinal fusion may sometimes be used to treat synovial cysts. If there is no associated instability with the cyst, then a microdecompression of the nerve root with cyst removal usually work well – a minimally invasive surgical procedure that’s very similar to a microdiscectomy. 

In rare cases, the synovial cyst can reform later. the reformation may create the need for a more extensive type of procedure, such as decompression with spine fusion surgery.

When a patient with a spinal fracture doesn’t experience pain relief through the non-surgical approaches, Dr. Mataragas might recommend a minimally invasive surgical procedure called a compression fracture repair. 

There are two known types of compression fracture repairs; vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. The vertebralplasty procedure has been discontinued and is no longer the standard of care for the american market. both procedures utilize acrylic bone cement in order to stabilize bone fragments. The cement hardens quickly, allowing most patients to go home the same day or after spending only one night in the hospital. Dr. Mataragas is happy to be able to perform the Kyphoplasty procedure in office, allowing his patients to benefit from lower medical costs and the ability to heal comfortably at home.