Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Specialist

Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) is a technique that allows us to perform complex procedures without making large incisions into your body.

To perform minimally invasive spine surgery, your surgeon makes a small incision through which they fit a tubular retractor. The retractor is a device that creates a channel into the surgery site by pushing muscles away from the spine rather than cutting them to gain access.

Your surgeon then passes specialized instruments through the retractor to perform the surgery. The team uses fluoroscopic images created using X-ray technology and an operating microscope to view the surgical site. In some procedures (particularly microdiscectomy), they use laser energy to remove tissue.

A minimally invasive approach has significant advantages over open surgery for most patients.

Advantages of minimally invasive spine surgery over traditional open surgery include:

• Reduced blood loss
• Lower levels of postoperative pain
• Smaller risk of infection
• Shorter hospital stay
• Less noticeable scars
• Faster recovery

We specialize in using minimally invasive techniques to treat a range of spinal disorders.

You might need to undergo minimally invasive spine surgery if you have a condition that isn’t getting better even though you’ve been following a comprehensive non-surgical treatment plan.

In most cases, patients who have back and neck problems find they recover well using noninvasive treatments such as medication, manipulation, and physical therapy, but these don’t work for everyone.

If your back or neck pain is persisting and significantly affecting your quality of life, we can discuss your suitability for surgery.

Dr. Ashraf Guirgues offers minimally invasive options for the treatment of most spine conditions. The team also specializes in robotic surgery, using the Mazor X™ Stealth Edition robotic guidance platform. Some of the procedures they perform regularly include:

• Laminectomy
  Laminectomy is a solution for back or neck pain caused by a narrowing of the spinal column (spinal stenosis). In this procedure, we widen your spinal column by taking out the back of the inside of your spinal canal. They also remove any bone spurs that have formed.
• Microdiscectomy
  Herniated intervertebral discs are often responsible for back pain. Microdiscectomy is a procedure for removing a herniated disc along with a section of the bone covering your spinal canal.
• Spinal fusion
  Spinal fusion joins two or more vertebrae to stop the movement between these bones that is so often a cause of pain. Fusion surgery can also prevent the progression of spinal abnormalities like scoliosis and treat spinal injuries and lumbar instability. Spinal fusion is often used after laminectomy and microdiscectomy to help restore stability to your spine.

Other minimally invasive spine surgeries you might benefit from include artificial disc replacement, foraminotomy, and interlaminar implantation.

To find out more, call today or book an appointment online.