Endoscopic Laser Spine Surgery

With new medical procedures being introduced virtually each day, old methods of surgery - read invasive surgery - are passing into oblivion. A very strong example of this is how the endoscopic laser spine surgery has made the once-prominent open back surgery a thing of the past. Spine surgeries were no mean task until even just a year ago. But with the rising popularity of laser methods for spine operations, patients are now getting treated on an outpatient basis too, and spinal surgeries have become no big deal.

Endoscopy means looking inside. That's the simple meaning of the term though. When applied for spinal surgery, what the surgeon actually does is allow an instrument known as the endoscope to move into the spine and operate upon it looking at the images shown by the endoscope on a computer monitor. The process may seem complex, but since it has already been perfected and used quite frequently, it is as safe as flying in an airplane.

One of the most common problems that can occur with the spine is neurological in nature. A neurological problem is when there is pressure on a nerve which causes insufferable pain. The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves too, which is housed within our spine. If there is any problem with the spine, such as stenosis (the narrowing of the spine due to wear and tear) or hernia, there will be a pressure produced on the spinal cord. Medication can cure this problem, but if it doesn't surgery becomes necessitated.

Previously, open back surgeries were the only options. But with the development of endoscopic laser spine surgery, the concept of minimally invasive surgery has come into prominence. These methods do not even need the patient to be hospitalized. Depending on the problem, the surgery can be conducted within a period of 24 hours.

One of the best points about these procedures is that it is carried out under the effect of local anesthesia. The person is conscious during the progress of the surgery. This eliminates the risk of accidents that can be caused due to wrong anesthetic approaches. The patient is conscious enough to indicate if pain is being felt so that it becomes possible to administer only the right kind of dosage to the patient and overdose of anesthesia does not occur.

There is a lot of blood loss during any open surgery, be it an abdominal procedure or an open back surgery. Also, these wounds will take a long time to heal and there can always be the problem of scarring. Minimally invasive laser procedures definitely reduce this risk. The possibility of complications in the postoperative stage is brought down to almost zero.

The spinal cord is extremely important for proper coordination of the organs, such as hand to brain coordination, maintaining the equilibrium of the body and maintaining the proper conduction of vascular and urological functions. Any damage to the spinal cord needs to be corrected immediately. The endoscopic laser spinal surgery is a method to do so inexpensively, effectively and safely. In fact, the method is so safe that it is being used in pediatric spinal surgery too.