More and more patient-sized techniques
For a long time, open surgery was the only possible approach to the treatment of diseases of the spine. Over the last few years, however, thanks to the technological evolution and the availability of increasingly precise and cutting-edge instruments, a series of alternative intervention methods have been developed that are similar to the classical ones, which reduce the trauma to a minimum. surgical and psychological for the patient. “Minimally invasive surgery, more respectful of the anatomical integrity of the treated tissues, is increasingly replacing the traditional one, precisely because it offers numerous advantages, from the reduction of post-operative complications to a more rapid recovery of patient mobility” says Dr. Daniel Cabezas, Neurosurgeon and Vertebral Surgeon of the Aurelia Hospital of Rome and Rugani Hospital of Siena, highly specialized structures in the minimally invasive treatment of spine surgery and, precisely for this reason, particularly appreciated by patients throughout Italy.
Dr. Cabezas, which means, specifically, minimally invasive? And for which diseases of the spine can this surgery be applied?
Mininvasiveness means operating bone or non-bone segments (eg cartilages such as the intervertebral disc, or nerves and spinal cord) without damaging neighbouring tissues that are not involved in the damage. Nowadays minimally invasive surgery (microdiscectomy, vertebroplasty, percutaneous foraminotomy, endoscopy, etc.), which has reached unprecedented levels of precision, can be applied to almost all the most frequent morbid conditions: lumbar disc herniations and cervical, vertebral fractures, canal stenosis and instability. The treatment of the most extensive pathologies, such as the scoliosis of large tracts, can not be performed with minimally invasive techniques. The surgeon’s expertise is, therefore, fundamental: where necessary, he must be able to transform the “mini” technique into “open”, to minimize the risk of operating complications.
What advantages do minimal access techniques offer?
Significant reduction in surgical time, reduction of damage on paravertebral muscle structures, reduction of blood loss, better aesthetic results thanks to smaller incisions, shorter hospital stay (generally the patient is standing 24/48 hours after intervention), and a more rapid recovery of daily and work activities. In conclusion, the future of vertebral surgery will be increasingly minimally invasive precisely because, with adequate selection of patients and diseases to be treated, these procedures guarantee improvement or recovery from the problem.
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