What is minimal invasive spine surgery?
1. It involves operating through small incision which decreases damage to paraspinal muscles and hence maintaining spine stabilty.
2. It is associated with less pain after surgery, faster recovery and early discharge from hospital.
Are all spine surgeries can be done MISS.
No. Every patient is different and need to be treated according to his/her spine conditions. MRI imaging helps in planning surgery.
Main factors which define the type of surgery are: pain and its duration, level of disc prolapse and spinal instability( listhesis)
Are complications reduced in MIS surgeries:
Advantages of MISS are: smaller incision, less bleeding , less chances of infection as wound is smaller and hence shorter hospital stay.
But other complications of open surgeries like recurring symptoms, pseudoarthosis and nerve damage( rare) persist.
What are the most common surgeries done by MIS technique:
1. Discectomy
2. Spinal fusion for listhesis( Instability)
Steps of MIS Discectomy
1. After small laminectomy ligamentum flavum is seen
2. Disc space is reached after retracting nerve root
3. After removal of prolapsed disc
4. Free traversing nerve root and cord after disc removal
5. Small incision of 1.8 cm after disc removal