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Reid Introduces New Spine Surgery to the Region
Wednesday October 19, 2005
Knoxville, TN
By the age of 50, 85 percent of the population will show evidence of disc degeneration. Spinal discs serve as cushions separating the vertebrae, individual bony segments of the spine. Annually, an estimated 190,000 spinal fusions are performed to treat common lower spine conditions such as degenerative disc disease and spondylolisthesis (misaligned vertebrae). Spinal fusions ultimately "weld" unstable vertebrae together to reduce or remove pain caused by movement of the vertebrae.
Traditional spinal fusion surgery requires cutting or stripping of the muscles attached to the spine through a 4" to 6" incision down the middle of the back. This causes extensive muscle damage which frequently results in considerable pain and permanent muscle scarring and damage post-operatively.
Unfortunately, with the traditional open surgery "the patient is restricted to bed for a couple of days and the hospital stay is most likely three to five days, if not longer. Because of the large incision, blood loss is greater and a transfusion is often necessary," neurosurgeon William Reid, MD, explained.
Dr. Reid is now performing a new minimally invasive procedure that allows the lumbar spine to be stabilized with less trauma to the muscle and surrounding tissue. The Sextant™ Rod Insertion System utilizes a mechanical arc device that delivers a rod and screws to rigidly fuse adjoining vertebrae.
Utilizing this technique, spinal fusions may be performed through several small, ½" to 1" skin incisions. Minimal cutting or stripping of the muscles from the spine is required due to the use of dilators, which gently split muscles to make a path to the area where the screws will be positioned to hold the rods in place.
This entire procedure is guided by the FluoroNav virtual fluoroscopy system. The FluoroNav allows Dr. Reid to direct the placement of the screws utilizing 3-D "virtual" visualization, rather than "direct" visualization of the spine through a large skin incision.
When indicated, Dr. Reid also employs the METRx ™ MicroDiscectomy system, which uses a muscle separating approach allowing Dr. Reid to replace the disc with bone grafts through 1" incisions.
With the new procedure the patient will experience a quicker return to normal activity with less post-operative pain because the muscle tissue has not been cut or stripped away from the spine. The patient will have a smaller scar and less blood loss due to the fact the incision has been reduced from 4" to 6" to about one inch.
In terms of relief of symptoms related to un-pinching the nerve root, surgical outcome for the new minimally invasive procedure is comparable to traditional open procedures. However, because the surgeon can un-pinch the root without cutting or stripping muscle, patients are offered several advantages in terms of less post-operative pain, a shorter recovery period, and better rehabilitation and cosmetic results.
Since the new procedure was developed by Dr. Kevin Foley at Semmes-Murphy Clinic in Memphis, more than 1,000 spinal fusion surgeries using the system have been performed by him and other surgeons around the country, including Dr. William Reid. Dr. Reid was the first surgeon in Knoxville to perform this procedure.
For more information or to schedule a consultation with a neurosurgeon please call (865) 544-9640