Minimally Invasive Surgery
Understanding the Procedure
Many patients today are hoping for a minimally invasive surgery that will be less painful and reduce the recovery time.
In discussing this kind of surgery, there are three key factors to consider: scar size, muscle dilation versus stripping, and recovery time. These three factors separate minimally invasive surgery from the traditional ones.
The first factor, scar size, is evident. Whereas traditional surgery often leaves a long scar, minimally invasive surgery usually leaves a scar one to one and a half inches long.
Minimally invasive surgeries differ from their traditional counterparts in terms of muscle dilation versus muscle stripping. When performing a traditional surgery, the physician makes an incision along all the levels of your spine where the problem area is located and strips the muscle off the spine. While this stripping is necessary to fix the spine, it often adds the recovery time for the patient. In contrast, minimally invasive surgery uses muscle dilation. This is achieved by using a series of sequential dilators to separate the fibers of the muscles in your back which makes a small tunnel. This allows the physician to view your spine through a small incision.
When a surgeon uses these channels in concert with a microscope or endoscope, the surgeon is able to access the problem area of your spine without making a long incision along the spinal levels. This can cut down significantly on recovery time.
Reducing Recovery Time
The third factor, recovery time, is often forefront in the patient's mind. Recovery time is often connected with muscle dilation. What determines a patient's recovery time? Mainly, it has to do with how much "damage" is done to the surrounding soft tissues and organs. Factors affecting recovery time include how much muscle was stripped off the spine, if the surgeon needed to move around organs to access the spine, and how many ligaments were cut. Naturally, the less changes to tissue and organs, the less post-operative pain a patient will experience and the shorter the recovery time.
Not All Patients are Candidates
Minimally invasive surgery does not suit all candidates. Your physician, for example, may recommend a more traditional approach, which does not necessarily mean that your recovery time is going to be very long and painful. It is important to educate yourself on all the available treatment options, discuss these with your physician, and depend on him or her to choose the best option.
Major Benefits Compared
As discussed, the main benefit of minimally invasive surgery is its potential reduction in recovery time and pain. How much of an improvement can one expect? In one study, patients who underwent a discectomy through the minimally invasive technique stayed in the hospital for an average of 12.1 hours, with a range of two to 48 hours. In contrast, the average length of hospital stay for a traditional discectomy was 1.8 days with a range of 24 hours to four days.
Studies have confirmed what one would expect: patients who have undergone minimally invasive surgery report very high levels of satisfaction and pain relief that is better than traditional open discectomy (involving a much larger incision).
K2M's Role in Minimally Invasive Surgery
K2M recognizes the increasingly important role minimally invasive surgery is playing in the field of orthopedic surgery. The company is actively designing instrumentation that will allow surgery through smaller incisions. K2M's technology will include specialized retractors, delivery portals/channels, and unique implant designs.