NON-TRAUMATIC NEW TECHNIQUE
- Muscle, Bone and Joint are not cut.
- Relieves Nerve Pinching.
- Herniated Disc Material Removed.
- Annular Barrier Wrapping Remains.
- No Stitches.
- Band Aid only.
- No Inpatient Hospital Stay
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TRAUMATIC OLD TECHNIQUE
Muscle, Bone and Joint are cut/removed.
Scar Tissue Develops Throughout the Surgical Area.
Annulus Disrupted; High Recurrence Rate (10-15%).
Bone Remains Open.
Hospital Stay-Long Recovery Period.
Ill Effects May Be Permanent-Constriction From Scarring, etc.
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New Surgical Technique
A Non-Traumatic Discectomy is an outpatient surgical procedure to remove herniated disc materialThe procedure may be performed in the operating room or special procedures room at the hospital. Patients are administered a local anesthesia, consisting of an injection of anesthetic in the muscle (not a spinal block).
Then, with the help of x-ray fluoroscopy and a magnified video for guidance, a small specially designed endoscopic probe is inserted through the skin of the back, between the vertebrae and into the herniated disc space. Tiny surgical attachments are then sent down the hollow center of the probe to remove a portion of the offending disc. Sometimes, the microsurgical attachments can be used to push the bulging disc back into place and be used for the removal of disc fragments and small bone spurs.
On average, the procedure takes about 45 minutes to an hour. X-ray exposure is minimal. You normally will feel little, if any, pain or discomfort. Upon completion, the probe is removed and a small Band-Aid is placed over the incision. There are no stitches.
The amount of nucleus tissue removed varies, and the supporting structure of the disc is not affected by the surgery. In comparison to large incisions required for open surgery, the access route to the disc in minimally invasive surgery consists of only the probe's small puncture site, usually the size of a freckle.
A Non Traumatic Discectomy is different from an open lumbar disc surgery because there is no traumatic back muscle dissection, no bone removal, and no large skin incision. The risk of complications from scarring, blood loss, infection, and anesthesia that may occur with conventional surgery are drastically reduced or eliminated with this procedure. Non Traumatic Discectomy was invented to be an effective treatment for herniated discs while avoiding these risks.
Patient's problem got worse after surgery (due to bone removal, bleeding and scar-production).This patient first came here 6 months after having an open microdiscectomy done elsewhere. He was complaining that his pain and numbness were worse than before the surgery. He wanted to know if the small non-traumatic procedure could be done for him now. The answer is "no", he does not have a disc herniation now and the permanent changes caused by the open surgery (shown below) can not be reversed. He should have had the herniated disc treated non-traumatically at the start.
Sound file of Dr. Ditsworth explaining the scan shown below
(Scan after Microdiscectomy, an open surgery)
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