Dr Richard Parkinson | Sydney

The goal of minimally invasive spine (MIS) surgery is to stabilise the vertebral bones and spinal joints and relieve any pressure being applied to the spinal nerves — often a result of conditions such as spinal instability, bone spurs, herniated discs, scoliosis or spinal tumours.

As opposed to open spine surgery, minimally invasive surgical approaches can be faster, safer and require less recovery time. This is due to the reduced trauma to the muscles and soft tissues (compared to open procedures).

The potential benefits for patients are:

• Better cosmetic results from smaller skin incisions (sometimes as small as several millimetres)
• Less blood loss from surgery
• Reduced risk of muscle damage, since less or no cutting of the muscle is required
• Reduced risk of infection and postoperative pain
• Faster recovery from surgery and less rehabilitation required
• Diminished reliance on pain medications after surgery

Although uncommon, there is always a small chance that the initial minimally invasive spine surgery cannot be completed, requiring either a second procedure or full open surgery.

Because the spinal nerves, vertebrae and discs are located deep inside the body, any approach to gain access to the spinal area requires moving the muscle tissue out of the way. In general, this is facilitated by utilising a small incision(s) and guiding instruments and/or a microscopic video camera through these incisions.

• Degenerative disc disease
• Herniated disc
• Lumbar spinal stenosis
• Spinal deformities such as scoliosis
• Spinal infections
• Spinal instability including spondylolisthesis
• Vertebral compression fractures
• Spinal tumours