10/10/2024
Spine Surgery and Minimally Invasive Techniques-
Abhijit Pawar, a consultant specializing in Spine and Scoliosis Surgery at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, emphasizes that age plays a critical role in open-back surgeries. Older patients often have conditions like heart disease and diabetes, which increase the risks of complications, infections, or hospital readmissions within 30 days after surgery.
“We counsel families that mobility is key to maintaining quality of life for elderly patients. Untreated conditions can leave them dependent and immobile. For patients at risk from general anaesthesia due to medical conditions, endoscopic spine surgery offers an alternative under local anaesthesia. While age is a factor in most surgeries, it is less so with minimally invasive spine procedures. Techniques like laminotomy, which only partially removes the lamina, help preserve spinal stability and reduce future risks,” he explains.
Minimally invasive techniques are becoming increasingly popular for elderly patients.
“According to the peer-reviewed journal articles, science is on the side of minimally invasive spine surgery, touting it as a safe and effective alternative to open-back surgery for older adults. Many surgeons and medical practices are slowly migrating toward adopting this technique. The endoscopic and minimally invasive technique is a permanent solution for many patients that allow them to preserve mobility and return to their routines and favourite activities. This minimally-invasive procedure is performed through a small tubular device. The surgery is performed under local or general anaesthesia, allowing the patient to leave the hospital the same day. After the disc protrusion is confirmed, a guide wire is inserted to the affected disc under fluoroscope guidance. An obturator tube is passed over the guide wire to push apart the tissue down to the disc and to move the nerve root out of the way. The working sleeve, through which the surgery will be performed, is slid over the dilating tube. The guide wire and dilator are then removed. The surgeon uses instruments to remove degenerative and extruded portions of the disc nucleus. Because only enough of the disc is removed to reduce pressure inside the disc, the spine remains stable. The foramen and nerves are inspected to confirm successful decompression. The instruments and sleeve are removed. Because no muscles or bones are cut during the procedure, recovery is fast and scarring is minimized. The patient may need a day of bed rest after the procedure and physical therapy,” adds Pawar.
To know more Please find inputs by Dr Abhijit Pawar published in Healthcare Executive !
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