The term spine surgery refers to various medical procedures that involve correction of structure/ Anatomical problems in the spine.
Spine includes cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral regions.
There are different types of spine surgeries based on the site of the problem and what the problem is. With increased advancement in Medical technology now spine surgeries are much safer, having good results and can be done with very small incisions.
Reasons for spines surgery
- Disc prolapse - Can be lumbar or cervical.
- Canal Stenosis - Abnormal increase in size of spinal joints and ligaments connecting them cause compression over spinal cord and roots ( can be lumbar, thoracic or cervical).
- Spondylolisthesis - Means slippage of one vertebral body over other that needs to be fixed.
- Tumor -can we cancerous or non-cancerous.
- Injury / trauma.
- Vascular malformation.
Types of spine surgery
- Lumbar microdiscectomy / Endoscopic discectomy.
- Lumbar spinal stenosis decompression .
- Laminectomy.
- TLIF (Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion).
- Cervical discectomy & plating.
- Cervical laminectomy & lateral mass fixation.
- Cervical laminoplasty.
- CV junction surgeries (Cranio-vertebral junction)
Risk of surgery
- Development of new Deficit/ weakness.
- Problem with urination and defecation.
- Fluid collection of surgical sites.
- Infection.
- Recovery after surgery
- Usually if surgery is uneventful, you have good recovery.