A Brief Look at the Surgical Procedures for Spine Surgery

Spine surgery could be an ultimate option if one is struggling through back problem since a long time. There are different surgical as well as non-surgical options that could help in getting rid of these back problems. So, let us have a look on most common surgical procedures that are being listed under spine surgery guidelines-

Discectomy or Microdiscectomy:This process involves removal of herniated inter vertebral disc by removing pressure from the compressed nerve. It comes under the MISS procedure.

Laminectomy:The removal of the thin bony plate located on the back of the vertebra is called the laminae. This process increases the space within the spinal canal in order to relieve pressure.

Laminotomy:The removal of a portion of the vertebral arch (medically termed as lamina) covers the spinal cord. A laminotomy removes less bone than a laminectomy. Generally, laminectomy and laminotomy are the decompression procedures. Decompression generally means the removal of the tissue that compresses the spinal nerve.

Foraminotomy:The process of removal of the bone or tissue through the passageway, known as the neuroforamen, where the nerve roots branch off the spinal cord while exiting the spinal column is termed as foraminotomy.

Disc replacement:This process is generally an alternative to fusion where the injured disc is being replaced with an artificial one.

Spinal Fusion:Spinal fusion is one of the surgical techniques that are used to join two vertebrae. Thus, the spinal fusion may include the use of the bone graft with or without any kind of instrumentation, like the rods or screws. There are two different types of bone graft, namely- autograft, which grafts one’s own bone and the allograft, which grafts donor’s bone. Generally, fusion can be accomplished through various different approaches that stabilize the lumbar inter-body fusion.

Thus, these were some of the most common surgical procedures used for spine surgery.