Minimally Invasive Surgery
State-of-the-art spine technology
More than 500 million people around the world suffer from back pain. Pathologies of the spine encompass an unlimited number of diseases that can originate both from degenerative processes of the human body and from traumatic injuries, bone deformities or tumors.
About 75% to 85% of all people will experience low back pain at some point in their lives, and 70% of people will experience neck pain.
Another common pathology is lumbar disc herniation , which is more symptomatic in those between 30 and 50 years of age, with a ratio of 2:1 for the male population.
Innovations
The trend is spine surgery with abdominal approaches to reach the spine, during his training as a subspecialist in spine surgery and pathology carried out at the Dr. Cristiano Menezes Spine Institute, Brazil. It is a type of minimally invasive surgery, in which the biomechanical balance of the spine is more completely restored, with lateral and anterior abscesses to the abdomen, which provide the opportunity to preserve the lumbar muscles by shortening the surgical time and accelerating the recovery process and return to daily activities.
Some of the examples of anterior and lateral approach surgeries would be:
The eXtreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) surgery is a lateral abdominal approach that allows access to the intervertebral disc lately.
Oblique lumbar interbody fusion (olif) and ante-terior lumbar interbody fusion (ALif) are other techniques used to restore the sagittal balance and the biomechanical balance of the spine.
Improved techniques
Spine endoscopy isn’t exactly a new procedure. Its development has been taking place over the last three decades, becoming more accessible and with recently improved technology. Through small incisions (less than 1 cm) a working corridor is created from the skin to the spine. With a camera system that allows an excellent view of the operating field and through the same work portal, the microsurgical instruments are introduced to perform the surgery. Due to the low surgical aggressiveness, a faster postoperative recovery is expected, with less need for analgesics, with specific expectations and risks. In many cases, surgery can be performed under local anesthesia and sedation, which can be of great help in patients with comorbidities.
