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Minimally Invasive Disk Surgery |
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Minimally Invasive Intervertebral Disk Surgery
Surgery of the lower spine typically requires significant muscle dissection to allow enough retraction of muscles to access the area of interest. We have worked on approaches that decrease the size of the surgical approach. Depending on the size of the patient, incisions can often be minimized to 2-5 cm when they would otherwise be 5-12 cm in length. The procedure is performed using a different soft tissue approach that requires less muscle dissection and tissue retraction.
The theoretical benefits of minimally invasive surgery are decreased tissue injury resulting in faster healing and postoperative pain. Indeed, we have observed that those patients with spinal disease in which a minimally invasive approach is reasonable appear to recover more quickly and often leave the hospital earlier than those that undergo more extensive surgery.
Not all cases will be good candidates for a minimally invasive approach. Dogs that require multiple level surgery and very large or heavy dogs tend to be less optimal candidates. The minimally invasive approach also depends upon the location of the problem in the spine. Disease in the higher thoracic spine and lower lumbar spine are less amenable to a minimal approach, but we are still trying to improve the technique for these areas.
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