The spinal column is a complex structure made up of bone, cartilage and nerves that, by connecting the brain with the rest of the body, allows us to maintain balance and walk.
Due to the breadth of the structure and the function it fulfills, the spine is prone to presenting various pathologies, such as hernias of various types, stenosis, arthrodesis, tumors and trauma.
Traditional spinal surgery had presented certain risks, such as infection, nerve damage and the possibility that the operation would not solve the problem. At best, the recovery period could take months.
But the most advanced medical technology provides us with admirably advantageous instruments, both for the realization of diagnoses (magnetic resonance and computed axial tomography, for example) as for the surgical practice.
The solution provided by minimally invasive surgery, through the endoscope, is so effective that a patient can go home 24 hours after the operation.
On the one hand, imaging diagnosis makes it easier for neurosurgeons to know the exact point of the intervention and, on the other hand, endoscopy allows us to see through monitors and perform the intervention using extremely high precision instruments.
Through one (or several) incisions of less than one centimeter, endoscopy allows us to:
- Directly illumination
- Insert a camera that transmits the image to a high definition screen
- Introduce the instruments that are needed to perform the surgery.
Through this procedure, we can perform interventions such as:
- Disc surgery, when a spinal nerve root (in the cervical neck or lower back) is compressed, injured, or inflamed.
- Cervical surgery, to decompress the spinal nerves, when patients have cervical radiculopathy without arthritis of the neck joints. This procedure is also a resource for patients with pre-existing arthritis of the neck, in order to perform an anterior discectomy and fuse or replace a disc.
- Lumbar surgery, to treat conditions in a herniated or ruptured disc in the lower back. Candidates for minimally invasive surgery should have a well-maintained disc height, with a disc collapse of 30% or less, and should have no evidence of bone accumulation in the spinal cavity.
- Spinal stenosis surgery, to remove the bone that compresses the nerve roots (in the cervical or thoracic region of the body) as a result of aging and wear of the spine.
- Spinal fusion for the lumbar spine, to correct an unstable part of the spine, joining two or more vertebrae, in order to stabilize the vertebrae and relieve chronic back pain.
With these minimally invasive surgical procedures, cited as an example, we achieve better solutions, minimize damage to the tissues surrounding the area to be operated on and allow the patient a better recovery.
I quote, among the various advantages of minimally invasive surgery, less blood loss and the consequent reduction in transfusions, less need for analgesics, reduced time for patient mobilization, less risk of infections and a significant reduction in pain.
In conclusion, the minimally invasive surgery that specialists practice in Costa Rica results in the quality of the patient’s recovery. Do you think you need spinal surgery? Contact me and we will schedule an appointment to analyze your case.
