Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery: The Benefits

Minimally invasive techniques have made spine surgery far less difficult and disruptive to your life.  Surgery that once required a week in the hospital and a year or more to recover completely can now be done with hospital stay of a couple of days and full recovery within several months.  Patients are left with a few small scars and these all but vanish in time.

How is minimally invasive spinal surgery performed?

Minimally invasive surgery, also known as "keyhole" surgery, uses a thin, telescope-like instrument known as an endoscope, which is inserted through small incisions. The endoscope is connected to a tiny video camera - smaller than a dime - which projects an "inside" view of the patient's body onto television screens in the operating room.

Small surgical instruments may then be passed through one or more additional half-inch incisions. Following the procedure, the small incisions are closed with sutures and covered with surgical tape. After a few months, they are barely visible.

Can all spine surgeries be done with minimally invasive techniques?

No, and neither is it appropriate for all patients.  In some cases, your surgeon may tell you that he or she will be able to achieve a better result using a conventional approach - and some patients have conditions that make minimally invasive approaches difficult or impossible.

Three main types of minimally invasive spine surgery currently are being performed at Stamford Hospital:

• Spinal fusion, which often is performed on degenerative disks
• Scoliosis and other corrective surgical procedures
• Repair of herniated disks

What are the benefits of minimally invasive spine surgery?

• Less scarring, leaving the patient with a few tiny scars instead of one large scar
• A shorter hospital stay, with most patients back at home after just a few days
• Reduced postoperative pain
• A shorter recovery time - a few months instead of a year - and a faster return to normal life, including work

For more information or to make an appointment please call
1-877-233-WELL (9355).