Has anyone here had minimally invasive spine surgery?

[cheryl stewart]

Has anyone here had min. invasive surgery?

I may need to have my c/6/7 7/8 done later. I have already had three major neck surgeriers anteriorally. They can not go through it again because of scar tissue.

My surgeon says he'd most likely do rods at those levels vs any type of fusion or disc replacement.

I don't even want that. If it's a disc, then I would opt for laser treatement and or removal of bone spurs with the small incisions that I have been rerading about. But no more major surgery! However, I would like to know if anyone has had the laser treatment to get a disc off a nerve or the spinal cord and how long does it last?

Thanks,

Cher

[Keano16]

Minimally-invasive spine surgery is current world standard. Few years in future, there will be no more traditional open surgeries.

I've had 2 minimally-invasive surgeries and now I am waiting for 4th.

What type of surgery are you planing? Laser disc decompression?

[MDE]

Minimally invasive can mean a lot of things. It can mean "major surgery through a slightly smaller incision" it can mean "Major surgery preformed through several small holes (laproscopic or percutaneous) or it can mean non major surgery through small incision.

I'm not familiar with the laser treatment other than, if you're removing material, without solving the underlying problem it is typically a short term solution.

C3-C6 is already fused... And he wants to put lateral mass screws and rods in from the posterior to connect that to C7 and T1? (there is no C8)

Do you have your MRI? (Either axial or lateral would work.) I'm curious to see how C2/C3 looks as well as your current issue with C6/7 and C7/T1 disks.

[Keano16]

Laser spine surgery have scientific and researched proves that it works, not only in short terms as there are 5-year and 10-year follow up studies, published by Choy.
Dr. Choy invented it 24 years ago.

You are right with your observation about minimally-invasive spinal surgery.

Best method and surgery type that would fit in this term is endoscopic or percutaneous surgery.

Like MDE said, there are several other minimally-invasive approaches that are called minimally-invasive ONLY because of muscle and tissue retracting (like MedTronic's METRx). This is minimally-invasive approach for using traditional spinal surgery techniques and it should never be compared to endoscopic spine surgery.

[Jeff]

I'm not sure what my frist proceedure was with my L4/5 i believe, but i can explain what was explained to me and my results. basically the disc was pinching the cord and the doc went in and cut off the part pinching it. I wasn't told nor did i ask what this was being cut with. I went in ( hospital with anesthesia ) in the morning and was out in 6 hours or so ( i believe the proceedure took about an hour or less ) ( they had me down to stay the night and i felt so good i declined ( not the case with my knee and they kicked me out )), maybe less. there were no stitches i saw or was told of, and only had two small scabs i believe. recovery was basically a few days, was immediately relieved and asked to take it easy for a week or so i believe. i don't recall taking any pain meds after the proceedure because i needed them, but probably took at least some anyway ). that was december 2005 and i still have had no discompfort.

Has anyone here had min. invasive surgery?

I may need to have my c/6/7 7/8 done later. I have already had three major neck surgeriers anteriorally. They can not go through it again because of scar tissue.

My surgeon says he'd most likely do rods at those levels vs any type of fusion or disc replacement.

I don't even want that. If it's a disc, then I would opt for laser treatement and or removal of bone spurs with the small incisions that I have been rerading about. But no more major surgery! However, I would like to know if anyone has had the laser treatment to get a disc off a nerve or the spinal cord and how long does it last?

Thanks,

Cher

[MDE]

I'm not sure what my frist proceedure was with my L4/5 i believe, but i can explain what was explained to me and my results. basically the disc was pinching the cord and the doc went in and cut off the part pinching it. I wasn't told nor did i ask what this was being cut with. I went in ( hospital with anesthesia ) in the morning and was out in 6 hours or so ( i believe the proceedure took about an hour or less ) ( they had me down to stay the night and i felt so good i declined ( not the case with my knee and they kicked me out )), maybe less. there were no stitches i saw or was told of, and only had two small scabs i believe. recovery was basically a few days, was immediately relieved and asked to take it easy for a week or so i believe. i don't recall taking any pain meds after the proceedure because i needed them, but probably took at least some anyway ). that was december 2005 and i still have had no discompfort.

The procedure is called a microdiscectomy, and it is typically preformed with metal instruments.

This is slightly different from what Cheryl is talking about, but similar in thought process.