In cases of spinal instability secondary to degeneration, spondylolisthesis, trauma or tumors, a lumbar decompressive procedure such as a laminectomy may be combined with a fusion procedure. Spinal fusion is a surgical technique used to join two or more vertebrae. Supplementary bone tissue, either from the patient (autograft) or a donor (allograft), is used in…
When a lumbar disc in the spine is herniated or damaged, either through trauma or degeneration, it often puts pressure on spinal nerves and causes significant pain and loss of function. The laminae appear as shingles on the back of the spine providing protection to the spinal nerves. To decompress the spine, a hemilaminectomy can…
With the introduction of total disc replacement (TDR) surgery, surgeons can offer their patients an alternative to spinal fusion surgery for the treatment of symptomatic degenerative disc disease (DDD). The TDR procedure is intended to relieve pain and preserve motion in the spine. During both TDR surgery and spinal fusion surgery, the pain-generating disc is…
Posterior cervical foraminotomy relieves spinal nerve root compression by creating more room for the nerve root to pass through the foramen. When disc material compresses the nerve root on one side (unilateral compression), the cervical foraminotomy can be used to remove the portion of the offending disk. When a bone spur narrows the foramen and…
A microdiscectomy removes a disc herniation (herniated disc) to relieve pressure on an adjoining nerve. This procedure allows for shorter hospital stays (mostly outpatient), smaller scars – 18 mm, quicker return to work and normal activities, and less post-operative pain – no muscle cutting. Lumbar discectomy is the #1 procedure performed on the spine in…
Kyphoplasty and Vertebroplasty are effective treatment options for patients who are suffering from intractable back pain caused by osteoporotic and pathological compression fractures of the spine. For those patients who meet the surgical criteria, these methods of stabilizing the vertebral fractures of the spine have resulted in rapid and significant reduction in incapacitating pain. Potential…