Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery – What crosses to your mind upon hearing the word “spine surgery”? You might easily associate it with everything that has anything to do with cutting into your body so that the surgeon treating you can perform the necessary procedure to treat your condition. Well, it’s true if that’s what you think. But as of 1980s, there has been developed another method to assess one’s medical condition without having to cut one’s body up.
There are so many risks posed for those who undergo open back surgery; bleeding is only to mention one of them. In addition, if your condition is something so delicate, open back surgery may only increase the chance for the damage to spread; your health can deteriorate further instead. So, meet minimally invasive spine surgery, ladies and gents, a procedure that requires a mere cut upon your body.
Invasive Spine Surgery Procedure
Invasive spine surgery procedure leaves a 5 to 6 inch scar on your skin—and that’s only what would be seen on the surface. Down there, the incised layers of tissues and nerves may need longer time to improve. You may need to stay in the hospital for several days before the doctors can release you. And you then need to follow the treatment by taking drugs continuously.
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (or MISS) has nothing like that. Also, delicate situation can be better assessed through MISS. Can you imagine how painful it would be if you have to undergo major invasive surgery just to excise the materials from your ruptured disc? MISS can extract these materials without you needing to be put down in a deep sleep on an operating table. In some cases of MISS, the procedure involves insertion of camera into the back so that the surgeons may get unobstructed view of the affected area. With MISS, the needs of having excessive postoperative pain management drugs can be substantially decreased and there would not be significant amount of blood lost during the course of treatment.
Invasive Spine Surgery Cost
Another good thing to MISS is that it doesn’t cost as much as the traditional surgery. Invasive spine surgery cost can range from anywhere around $27,000 upwards. This is not something written on the stone as the number can shockingly increase according to several determining factors like postoperative treatment and so forth. MISS, on the other hand, costs around $24,000.
Potential Risks of Spine Surgery
Both invasive and non-invasive spine surgery bear risks for the patient. While the risks can be reduced through MISS, but you, if you are about to undergo spinal surgery, need to learn a few possible threats there are to spinal surgical procedure:
- Stroke
- Leakage of spinal fluid
- Pneumonia
- Paralysis
- Pain/discomfort
- Infection
- Problems with incision
- Headache
- Death
- Bruise
- Blood clots
- Bleeding
- Damage to nerves and blood vessels
- Allergic reaction
- Negative reaction against anesthesia
