Microdiscectomy/Hemilaminectomy

Specialists at the Orthopaedic & Spine Institute have in-depth experience in performing lumbar decompressive surgery, also known as mini-back surgery. It has provided minimally invasive pain relief to thousands of individuals suffering from lower back arthritis, herniated or bulging discs, leg pain and other conditions (such as bone spurs or thickened ligaments)

The procedure involves using fiberoptic cameras and microsurgical techniques to decompress the nerve sac in the lumbar spine. It offers many advantages over conventional lumbar surgery, which involved doing extensive bone removal of the entire lamina (the bone that makes up the covering roof of the spinal column). These include:

• Less muscle dissection
• Less blood loss
• More bone preservation
• Significantly smaller incision
• Significantly less pain
• Greater stability of the spine
• Much faster recovery and rehabilitation

Usually, microdiscectomy/laminectomy refers to removing a diseased or ruptured (herniated) disk and its fragments, which often spill onto the surrounding nerves. Hemilaminectomy involves further hollowing out of the lamina bone to give the pressured nerves more room because of the resulting loss of disc height.

Call 215-481-BONE today to find an Institute orthopaedic spine surgeon or neurosurgeon.