Closed Spine Surgeries and Minimally Invasive (Small Incision) Spine Surgeries
Closed spine surgeries and minimally invasive spine surgery can be performed for many types of spine operations, offering numerous advantages to patients due to reduced muscle incisions and tissue damage.
Closed surgical techniques are used in a wide range of spine operations, from herniated disc surgeries to scoliosis surgeries, spinal fractures, surgeries for spinal degeneration and deformities in the aging spine, and spinal tumor surgeries.
What Are the Advantages of Closed Spine Surgeries?
The advantages vary depending on the surgery performed. For instance, in spinal tumor surgeries, when a stabilization procedure is performed using a closed method, tissue damage is significantly less, and a patient who would need to wait at least two weeks for radiotherapy after an open surgery can receive the treatment within 3-4 days after a closed procedure. Additionally, especially in elderly patients who require long-level instrumentation (implant placement), closed surgeries shorten the surgery time, and because tissue damage and bleeding are minimized, patients undergo major surgery with minimal surgical trauma. These patients also experience shorter hospital stays, and postoperative pain is managed more quickly compared to open surgery.
What Are the Types of Closed Spine Surgeries and Minimally Invasive Procedures?
- Endoscopic lumbar herniated disc surgeries
- Microscopic (tube-assisted) lumbar herniated disc surgeries
- Closed (percutaneous) spinal fracture stabilization
- Closed (percutaneous) spinal tumor stabilization surgeries
- Anterior spinal body cage placement surgeries such as OLIF, XLIF, DLIF
- Vertebroplasty, Kyphoplasty surgeries
- Endoscopic cervical herniated disc surgeries and tube-assisted keyhole cervical disc surgeries
- Minimally invasive surgeries for thoracic disc herniation with the aid of retractors and thoracoscopic surgeries
- Thoracoscopic scoliosis surgeries (tethered scoliosis surgery)
How Is Closed Spinal Implantation Performed?
Implant placement is performed using two methods. The first is under fluoroscopic guidance, and the second is with the navigation method, which provides a three-plane view of the vertebra.