There are a number of conditions that may necessitate the need for the operation. They include, among others, spinal canal stenosis, prolapsed intervertebral discs and presence of vertebral bony spurs among others. Before undergoing minimally invasive spine surgery long island residents need to understand a number of things on the procedure beforehand.
A proper diagnosis is essential before the operation can be considered. Your doctor will need to take your history which will help them determine the nature and magnitude of your problem. Physical examination is also often necessary. The most useful diagnostic tests are MRI and CT scan images of the spine. The CT scan will help in diagnosis bony problems while the MRI will be the preferred mode if the spinal cord is suspected to be compressed.
It is important that you discuss with your doctor the merits and demerits of the available options. You should make a section to undergo the surgery only after you have understood what is involved. Preparing for the procedure is the same as any other operation. For instance, one has to stop smoking for sometime. There may be a need to also discontinue the use of some potentially harmful drugs such as blood thinners.
The main distinguishing feature of this method is that the skin incisions made are a lot smaller than what is seen with the traditional approach. Through these incisions, instruments can be inserted and used to perform the corrective procedure. Procedures performed in this manner can be broadly classified as spinal decompression or fusion.
Spinal fusion is a technique that is employed when the vertebral column is unstable for one reason or the other. The instability may result in problems in walking or other symptoms such as excessive back pain. The idea here is to join together two or more adjacent vertebral bodies so as to minimize excessive movement between them.
There are two main types of anaesthesia that can be used; general and regional. General anaesthesia is used for procedures that are in the chest and neck regions while regionally anaesthesia is used if the problem is below the chest on the vertebral column. The advantage of regional anaesthesia is that one remains awake throughout.
Just as is the case with any form of surgical operation, there are a number of complications that may be encountered although at a much lower rate than with the open technique. Pain is one of the most common and is usually controlled by analgesic agents. In a small percentage of people the pain may persist for a couple of months. Infections are at times seen hence the need to use prophylactic antibiotics before and after the procedure. Other likely complications include nerve damage and bleeding.
The time required for a patient to recover from the effects of the operation greatly varies. It is dependent on the exact type of surgery that was done. On average, however, this time is a lot less when compared to the traditional technique. Most of the patients will be allowed home on the same day of the operation. Those who are admitted for observation leave within two days. With the open technique, the average is about five days.
A proper diagnosis is essential before the operation can be considered. Your doctor will need to take your history which will help them determine the nature and magnitude of your problem. Physical examination is also often necessary. The most useful diagnostic tests are MRI and CT scan images of the spine. The CT scan will help in diagnosis bony problems while the MRI will be the preferred mode if the spinal cord is suspected to be compressed.
It is important that you discuss with your doctor the merits and demerits of the available options. You should make a section to undergo the surgery only after you have understood what is involved. Preparing for the procedure is the same as any other operation. For instance, one has to stop smoking for sometime. There may be a need to also discontinue the use of some potentially harmful drugs such as blood thinners.
The main distinguishing feature of this method is that the skin incisions made are a lot smaller than what is seen with the traditional approach. Through these incisions, instruments can be inserted and used to perform the corrective procedure. Procedures performed in this manner can be broadly classified as spinal decompression or fusion.
Spinal fusion is a technique that is employed when the vertebral column is unstable for one reason or the other. The instability may result in problems in walking or other symptoms such as excessive back pain. The idea here is to join together two or more adjacent vertebral bodies so as to minimize excessive movement between them.
There are two main types of anaesthesia that can be used; general and regional. General anaesthesia is used for procedures that are in the chest and neck regions while regionally anaesthesia is used if the problem is below the chest on the vertebral column. The advantage of regional anaesthesia is that one remains awake throughout.
Just as is the case with any form of surgical operation, there are a number of complications that may be encountered although at a much lower rate than with the open technique. Pain is one of the most common and is usually controlled by analgesic agents. In a small percentage of people the pain may persist for a couple of months. Infections are at times seen hence the need to use prophylactic antibiotics before and after the procedure. Other likely complications include nerve damage and bleeding.
The time required for a patient to recover from the effects of the operation greatly varies. It is dependent on the exact type of surgery that was done. On average, however, this time is a lot less when compared to the traditional technique. Most of the patients will be allowed home on the same day of the operation. Those who are admitted for observation leave within two days. With the open technique, the average is about five days.
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