What is Less Exposure Spine Surgery?
Less Exposure Spine Surgery (LESS) is an improvement on Minimally Invasive Surgery (MISS). LESS utilizes the newest technique and technology to perform outpatient surgery that is proven, safe, effective, easy to master, preserve the natural anatomy, lessen radiation and allow for minimal blood loss and quick recovery. We Keep it Simple, Safe and Sensible (KISS).
EVOLUTION
From Open Surgery to MISS
Open surgery and MISS are built on the same foundation. With MISS, the surgeon tries to achieve open surgery results by using smaller incisions and performing the surgery percutaneously through tubes, retractors, and endoscopes. Unfortunately, with MISS, the surgeon loses substantial amounts of his or her visualization of the full anatomy, and has to compensate for this by using excessive X-Ray’s (also called fluoro images). Although the incisions on the skin surface are small, in the end, the actual trauma to the tissues underneath the skin is just as disruptive as open surgery.
MISS still causes a substantial amount of collateral damage and removal of normal tissues. When a surgeon does open surgery, this tissue damage is more obvious and visible. When a surgeon does MISS, the tissue damage under the skin isn’t as obvious. Also, the effects of the additional radiation that MISS requires are also not immediately apparent, but might show up later in life.
REVOLUTION
From MISS to LESS
LESS is based on a new philosophy of doing surgery. LESS is less invasive than MISS. LESS incisions are small, open incisions through which the surgeon only exposes what needs to be treated for maximum effectiveness and nothing more. By developing improved technologies and techniques tailored for pinpointing a problem and fixing it without collateral damage, LESS preserves and minimizes normal tissue disruption without relying on excessive radiation.
