Spine
Foraminotomy
A decompression surgery that is performed to enlarge the passageway where a spinal nerve root exits the spinal canal.
Hemilaminotomy
A window is drilled in the bone through which the nerve root and disc are accessed. A herniated disc is typically removed through such a bony opening. Neurosurgeons often perform such procedures under an operating microscope.
Microdiscectomy
A minimally invasive surgical procedure performed on patients with a herniated lumbar disc. During this surgery, a surgeon will remove portions of the herniated disc to relieve pressure on the spinal nerve column.
Total Disc Replacement
A surgical procedure in which a diseased or damaged intervertebral disc of the spinal column is replaced with an artificial, man-made device.
Interspinous Fixation
Affixation of adjacent spinous processes
Laminaplasty
An orthopaedic/neurosurgical surgical procedure for treating spinal stenosis by relieving pressure on the spinal cord.
Laser Spine Surgery
An alternative to traditional “open” spine surgery is a minimally invasive procedure. Here, the surgeon makes a smaller incision and uses a tool to tunnel to the site of the pain.
Kyphoscoliosis
A deformity of the spine characterized by abnormal curvature of the vertebral column in two planes (coronal and sagittal). It is a combination of kyphosis and scoliosis. It is seen in many disorders such as Syringomyelia and can cause many conditions such as pulmonary hypertension.
Thoracic Fusion
The placement of screws and rods to stabilize the spinal bones or vertebrae.
Cervical Fusion
A procedure used to treat neck problems such as cervical radiculopathy, disc herniations, fractures, and spinal instability.
Epidurals
An epidural steroid injection is performed to help reduce the inflammation and pain associated with nerve root compression. Nerve roots can be compressed by a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, and bone spurs.
Medial Branch Blocks Rhizotomies
A surgical procedure to sever nerve roots in the spinal cord. The procedure effectively relieves chronic back pain and muscle spasms. For spinal joint pain, a facet rhizotomy may provide lasting low back pain relief by disabling the sensory nerve at the facet joint.
Discograms
A procedure used to determine the anatomical source of a patient's low back pain.
Lumbar Fusion
A surgery to join, or fuse, two or more vertebrae in the low back.
Sacroiliac Joint (SIJ) Fusion Fracture Repairs
A technique used to stabilize the sacroiliac joint, generally used to treat back or leg pain caused by SI joint dysfunction.
Piriformis Surgery
There are two procedure options. The first is to cut the piriformis tendon where it attaches on the greater trochanter. The other method is to cut through the piriformis muscle to take pressure off the sciatic nerve.
Tumor Removal
Removal of an abnormal mass of tissue within or surrounding the spinal cord and/or spinal column.
Kyphoplasty
A medical spinal procedure in which bone cement is injected through a small hole in the skin (percutaneously) into a fractured vertebra with the goal of relieving back pain caused by vertebral compression fractures.