Carolinas Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
Ashraf F. Guirgues, MD, FAAOS
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery & Robotic Surgery located in Morehead City, NC, Jacksonville, NC & Swansboro, NC
Minimally invasive spine surgery uses advanced instrumentation and image guidance to avoid unnecessary tissue damage, resulting in less pain for patients. If you need spinal surgery, board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon Ashraf Guirgues, MD, and the Carolinas Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery team can help. They specialize in performing minimally invasive spine surgeries such as laminectomy, microdiscectomy, and artificial disc replacement. Find out how you could benefit from their expertise by calling the Morehead City, Swansboro, or Jacksonville, North Carolina, location, or use the online booking tool today.
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Q&A
What is minimally invasive spine surgery?
Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) is a technique that allows the team at Carolinas Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery 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.
What are the advantages of minimally invasive spine surgery?
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
The Carolinas Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery team specializes in using minimally invasive techniques to treat a range of spinal disorders.
Why would I need to undergo minimally invasive spine surgery?
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, the Carolinas Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery team can discuss your suitability for surgery.
What types of minimally invasive spine surgery are there?
Carolinas Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery 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, the Carolinas Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery team widens 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 Carolinas Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery today or book an appointment online.
