Conditions Treated with Minimally Invasive Laser Spine Surgery

While it seems counter-intuitive, the term laser spine surgery has begun to include a great many minimally invasive procedures that do not necessarily involve the use of an actual laser. This is, perhaps, because so many surgical centers that provide minimally invasive, outpatient treatment for symptoms related to degenerative spine conditions market themselves using the futuristic term “laser.” And, in fact, many of the procedures do entail the use of a laser as a heat source in order to strategically target the smallest amount of spinal anatomy for removal (in some cases, vaporization). What many people wonder, though, is what conditions are actually treated by centers that specialize in laser spine surgery. What follows is a detailed accounting of the degenerative spine conditions and resulting anatomical abnormalities that are treated by those centers.

Degenerative Spine ConditionsAge-related deterioration of the spinal anatomy affects almost everyone. Of course, not everyone experiences neck or back pain because of it, and even fewer actually require laser spine surgery. Those who do tend to suffer from one of two degenerative spine conditions: spinal osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease. Spinal osteoarthritis, sometimes simply called spinal arthritis, is the deterioration of the cartilage lining the spinal joints. Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is the gradual deterioration of the sponge-like intervertebral discs, which serve as shock absorbers between the stacked vertebrae.

Bulging DiscOne potential result of DDD is a bulging disc. This anatomical abnormality arises when the disc’s layered, fibrous outer wall is forced out of its normal boundary because it has become too weak to hold the internal, gel-like nucleus of the disc, which is under constant pressure. A bulging disc typically remains asymptomatic unless the outer wall begins to make contact with the spinal cord or nerve root. In fact, the same can be said of most of these age-related spine conditions. Contact with a nerve root can give rise to neck or back pain, traveling pain, and tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness in the extremities.

Herniated Disc

A herniated disc often occurs after a bulging disc. Disc herniation happens when the gel-like nucleus material of a disc leaks through a rupture, or tear, in the disc’s outer wall. The extruded disc material is often reabsorbed by the body before it touches a nerve root or the spinal cord, causing severe symptoms in some cases. However, just the presence of nucleus material near the tiny nerve endings in the disc’s outer wall can cause pain within the disc itself, but this pain usually remains localized.

Osteophytes

Osteophytes are also known as bone spurs. They can occur on any bone in the body, often where joints become unstable. In the spine, they occur as a result of spinal arthritis. Bone spurs are smooth, excess growths of bone that are found along the edges of vertebrae and unstable spinal joints. While these bony growths don’t always produce symptoms, they often are revealed in the early stages by a distinctive “popping” or “cracking” noise known as crepitus. An osteophyte can become particularly problematic if it begins to make contact with a nerve root.

Early Stage Spondylolisthesis

In its early stages, symptomatic spondylolisthesis (vertebral slippage) might be treated with a minimally invasive, outpatient laser spine procedure. This typically applies for Grade I spondylolisthesis (25 percent slippage) only, and only when the slipped vertebra is making contact with the spinal cord or a nerve root. As with other degenerative spine conditions, laser spine surgery addresses the pain and other symptoms caused by spondylolisthesis, but does not cure the condition itself (in other words, laser surgery would not reposition the slipped vertebrae back to its correct placement).

What Is Not Treated

As indicated previously, late-stage spondylolisthesis is not typically treated by centers that specialize in laser spine surgery. In addition, not every patient suffering from nerve compression symptoms is a candidate for minimally invasive procedures on the spine. Patients who do not enjoy sound overall health might not be considered good candidates for minimally invasive spine surgery. People who have undergone highly invasive spinal fusion surgery in the past might also find that minimally invasive laser spine surgery is not available to them. There might also be other factors that preclude a patient from becoming a candidate. If you are considering spine surgery of any kind, be sure to discuss all of your options with your doctor and seek multiple medical opinions before consenting to any type of procedure.