Has your doctor advised you that you need a laminectomy? If surgery is the only option, then minimally invasive surgery offers a suitable alternative to the traditional open spine. This guide includes all you need to know about your upcoming surgery and what it entails.
What is Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery?
Sometimes referred to as MISS, minimally invasive spine surgery is a safe alternative to traditional open spine surgery. Procedures such as the minimally invasive laminectomy and discectomy surgery offer faster recovery rates, less pain, and lower risks of infection.
During a minimally invasive surgery, the surgeon makes a small incision near the spine where the problem is. The surgeon then uses small tools to operate on the spine through the small incision. This is an alternative to open spine surgery, where a larger incision ensures that the surgeon can access the spine. The bigger the incision, the worse the recovery time and pain, and the more substantial the risks.
Quick Facts About Minimally Invasive Laminectomy
A laminectomy is a common spinal surgery that is increasingly becoming an outpatient surgery. Between 2008 and 2016, the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Database recorded 85,769 laminectomy patients. Between those two years, there has been an increase in outpatient laminectomies from 24.1% to 56.74%. Minimally invasive surgery is becoming more mainstream, and as it does, it is causing this rise in outpatient operations.
What is a Laminectomy?
A laminectomy procedure used to involve open spine surgery. This technique involved bringing the patient into the hospital, sedating them, and performing the surgery. A minimally invasive laminectomy is an outpatient procedure completed on the same day you arrive at a medical clinic. Either way, the operation seeks to correct the same problem.
A laminectomy procedure creates space around the vertebrae. Painful bone spurs can grow along the spine, putting pressure on the spinal column or on the nerves in your back. This creates a painful pinching that your doctors may only fix using surgery. A laminectomy procedure may be an operation on its own, to it may be part of decompression surgery.
What Will Happen During Your Minimally Invasive Laminectomy?
When you go for a minimally invasive laminectomy, you do not need to make plans to stay in a hospital overnight. You should plan to be in and out within the same day. Here is what to expect before, during, and after your surgery.
Before Your Minimally Invasive Laminectomy
You should prepare by not eating or drinking from midnight on the night before your surgery day. You may need extra tests to make sure you are suitable for surgery, so be sure to do everything your doctors tell you to do. If you suffer any unusual sickness or illness before your surgery, such as flu or covid, you should tell your doctor. You will have to stop smoking, too, since this can delay the healing process and even increase the risk of infection.
During your Procedure
When you arrive, your nurses will do their best to make you comfortable. You will receive a visit from the surgeon, who will explain the procedure and the schedule for the day to you. During your procedure, the anesthetist will wish to numb you using a local anesthetic. Next, with one eye on your vitals, the surgeon will make a small incision on your back, near the spine. They will use an X-ray during the surgery, which allows them to see what they are doing.
The surgeon puts a small tubular retractor into the incision, which guides to the area of issue. They then expand the flesh around the area, allowing the surgeon to nip in and remove any bone spurs. They will retreat, close the incision, and you can recover.
After Your Procedure and Recovery Time
After your procedure, you will need someone to take you home. You should have someone stay with you overnight. You may need extra care at home for the first week or two. Recovery time varies from 4-6 weeks without complications. Do as your doctors advise, and you should recover fully.
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