The team of surgeons at the Spine Institute Northwest is always working to expand their horizon by offering more options to their patients. While primarily the providers at the Spine Institute Northwest focus on minimally invasive endoscopy guided surgeries, we are also starting to expand into performing procedures that will help patients that do not qualify for traditional minimally invasive endoscopy guided techniques. Read on to learn more!
Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) is an open spine surgery but is performed with a small incision at the front of the neck. This procedure is done to treat nerve root or spinal cord compression in the cervical (upper/neck) spine. ACDF can be performed to alleviate symptoms including pain, weakness, numbness, and tingling.
ACDF is used to treat pain caused by herniated or ruptured discs in the cervical spine, conditions that can be brought on by degenerative disc disease, injury, or overuse. As the name implies, the procedure has two parts. First, a discectomy is performed to remove the problem disc and decompress the spinal cord and nerve roots. This is followed by a spinal fusion to stabilize the corresponding vertebrae. An implant is inserted in place of degenerated or damaged disc and the implant is stabilized with a small titanium plate. Regenerative therapy is applied during this surgery in the form of stem cell autografts and allografts of various sorts to allow for better and faster healing and fusion.
Spine Institute Northwest has also recently begun to perform minimally invasive procedures to treat vertebral compression fractures, breakages in the actual vertebrae that are often caused by osteoporosis or acute injury. Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a minimally invasive procedure where a small amount of medical grade acrylic cement is injected into the collapsed vertebra to stabilize and strengthen it. Using a flexible needle, the surgeon is able to directly access the entire vertebra through one small incision and precisely deliver the bone cement right to the fracture.
Vertebroplasty has been performed for several years. As it continues to evolve there is also a newer procedure offered to treat spine deformity due to vertebral fracture. This procedure is called kyphoplasty or percutaneous vertebral body augmentation (VBA). In VBA, a balloon device is used to create a space in the vertebra that is then filled with a similar kind of cement to that used in vertebroplasty to seal up the fracture and/or treat a deformity of the spine. The hardened cement provides strength and stability, helping the sufferer to get relief from the pain of a vertebral compression fracture. This procedure generally can be done under regional anesthesia with intravenous sedation.
These new procedures add to the range of treatments available at the Spine Institute Northwest to relieve chronic pain. By offering options that we find to be helpful and effective, our team hopes to bring new hope to people who were resigned to living with chronic pain or undergoing a physically taxing open back surgery. Wondering if one of these procedures could help you? Contact the Spine Institute Northwest today at 206-496-0630!