Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Specialist
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Ventura Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery located in Midtown, Ventura, CA
Minimally invasive spine surgery offers many benefits over open surgery, including a reduced risk of complications and faster recovery. With fellowship training in minimally invasive spine surgery, David Westra, MD, a board-certified neurosurgeon, and Michael Dorsi, MD at Ventura Neurosurgery, in Ventura, California, use these techniques to treat a wide variety of conditions. To find out if minimally invasive spine surgery is right for you, call or book an appointment online today.
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Q&A
What is minimally invasive spine surgery?
Minimally invasive spine (MIS) surgery uses advanced techniques that cause less damage to healthy tissue than open spine surgery. Compared to open surgery, MIS surgery has many advantages, including:
- Smaller incisions
- Less blood loss
- Reduced risk of infection
- Faster recovery
The team at Ventura Neurosurgery usually performs MIS surgery as an outpatient procedure, which means you can go home the same day. Some procedures may use only local anesthesia, avoiding the risks of general anesthesia.
What conditions does minimally invasive spine surgery treat?
The goal of MIS surgery is to stabilize your vertebrae and spinal joints and/or relieve pressure on your nerves. The team at Ventura Neurosurgery uses minimally invasive spine surgery to treat a wide range of conditions, including:
- Herniated discs
- Degenerative disc disease
- Spinal stenosis
- Spinal infections
- Spinal tumors
- Vertebral compression fractures
- Scoliosis
- Spondylolisthesis
In some cases, open spine surgery may be safer and more effective than a minimally invasive spine surgery procedure. Your neurosurgeon reviews every available treatment option with you.
How does minimally invasive spine surgery work?
During minimally invasive spine surgery, the team at Ventura Neurosurgery uses special instruments and techniques to access your spine without cutting through muscle and other soft tissues.
One of the most common ways to do this is with a tubular retractor. This involves inserting small tubes that dilate your muscles. Your neurosurgeon may insert a small camera called an endoscope or focus a microscope down the tube to view your spine. After the surgery, they remove the tubes, and your muscle tissue closes up again.
Other minimally invasive techniques include percutaneous placement of screws and rods and direct lateral access routes. Percutaneous placement involves inserting rods and screws through small incisions without cutting the underlying muscle. Direct lateral access means approaching the spine through the side of the body.
What are common minimally invasive spine procedures?
The team at Ventura Neurosurgery has extensive expertise with MIS procedures. They use minimally invasive techniques for many surgeries, including:
- Microdiscectomy
- Spinal decompression, including laminectomy and foraminotomy
- Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS TLIF)
- Extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF)
- Artificial disc replacement
- Most lumbar operations
If you’re considering spine surgery, call Ventura Neurosurgery, or book an appointment online today to learn more about minimally invasive spine surgery options.
