ELECTIVE SURGERY

SPINAL

When conservative treatment fails, your neurosurgeon may advise spinal surgery as a treatment for a range of spinal conditions. Essentially, spinal surgeries are done to accomplish two main tasks: decompression of the spinal cord or nerve, stabilisation or to reduce a spinal deformity.

SPINAL SURGERY MAY BE DONE TO TREAT THE FOLLOWING:

  • Herniated intervertebral disc (slipped disc)

  • Degenerative disc disease

  • A pinched nerve in the spine

  • Nerve decompression, eg. Trigeminal neuralgia

  • Compression of the spinal cord

  • Spondylolisthesis (step deformity of the spine)

Common symptoms encountered when dealing with the above-mentioned conditions may include pain in the back, lower thighs, and buttocks, back pain that is worse when sitting or any pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, or decreased sensation in a particular area such as the arm or leg. Dr. Kolloori may advise various non-surgical or minimally invasive methods first before resorting to back surgery as this should be a last resort. Nonetheless, if surgery is advised, Dr. Kolloori is an extremely experienced neurosurgeon who strives to treat each patient holistically, caring for their overall well-being.

SURGERIES ADVISED BY DR.KOLLOORI MAY INCLUDE:

  • Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) - this surgery is done by removing disc material and bony spurs to relieve the pressure and irritation on the nerve root or spinal cord. Thereafter an implant is inserted between the vertebrae to allow them to fuse together as one, eliminating movement between the two (or three). It is commonly done for the treatment of a herniated disc.

  • An artificial disc replacement (cervical or lumbar) - otherwise known as disc arthroplasty surgery, involves the replacement of the disc and its material with a prosthetic disc. This is done to relieve pain but preserve the mobility of the spine, unlike a spinal fusion.

  • A corpectomy (cervical/thoracic/lumbar) - this a procedure done to treat spinal stenosis or spinal cord compression. It involves the removal of the vertebral body to decompress the spinal cord. A fusion or stabilisation of the vertebrae may then be required after.

  • Posterior cervical decompression and stabilisation - during this surgery your neurosurgeon may remove the bony covering (lamina) to relieve pressure on the spinal cord and stabilise the vertebrae to reduce pressure on the spinal cord or spinal nerves.

  • Lumbar decompression - this surgery may be done as treatment for spinal stenosis, by removing the compressive elements such as bone, ligaments or even parts of discs, that are compressing the nerves of the spine and causing pain.

  • Lumbar fusion or stabilisation (posterior or anterior) - for pain and pressure on the nerve roots or spinal cord, this surgery may be advised to permanently connect two or more vertebrae in your spine, eliminating motion between them

  • Lumbar microdiscectomy - for herniated discs a lumbar microdiscectomy is done using a surgical microscope to minimize injury to surrounding tissue when removing the structures that may be irritating or compressing the nerve root.

  • Percutaneous plasma disc decompression (PPDD) - this is a minimally invasive surgery done for herniated or bulging discs by removing the nucleus of the disc through controlled ablation. Dr. Kolloori is currently the only Neurosurgeon in South Africa to offer this procedure.