Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

Minimally invasive spine surgery has evolved over the last 30 years to treat and repair a wide variety of spinal disorders including herniated discs, deformity, injuries and degenerative disc disease. Swift Spine Institute has been using minimally invasive spine surgery techniques since 2002.

What is Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery?

In contrast to traditional open back surgery that requires a large incision causing more damage to muscles and tissues, minimally invasive spine surgery has become the leading way to treat spine problems. Minimally invasive spine surgery also lessens the hospital stay, (many procedures can be performed as day surgery or 23 hour stay), reduces pain, results in less operative blood loss, allows for faster return to work and activities, and reduces the risk of infection than with traditional open back surgery.

In minimally invasive spine surgery, a smaller incision is made, sometimes only a half-inch in length. The surgeon inserts special surgical instruments through these tiny incisions to access the damaged disc in the spine. Entry and repair to the damaged disc or vertebrae is achieved without harming nearby muscles and tissues when using minimally invasive techniques.

Minimally invasive spine surgery requires extensive training and experience to master use of the tools, but there is tremendous benefit for the patient. “The incision is shorter, which means you aren’t cutting through as much muscle and tissue to get access to the damaged area of the spine,” explains Dr. Lynch.

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Smaller Incision

The incision is often only a half-inch in size.

Less Damage to Tissues

The surgeon uses special tools to access the spine, minimizing the need to cut muscle.

Less Blood Loss

The smaller incision and use of specialized tubular retractors leads to less blood loss during surgery.

Less Post-op Pain

Because less tissue and muscles are cut, patients report less pain during recovery.

Quicker Return to Activity

Less damage to muscles means the body is able to heal faster.

Minimally Invasive Spine Procedures

A Minimally Invasive Posterior Cervical Foraminotomy is a surgical procedure to relieve pain/weakness resulting from a pinched spinal nerve. The surgical procedure is designed to allow for more space for...
A posterior cervical laminectomy and fusion is a procedure used to decompress and stabilize the cervical spine. This relieves pain, weakness and numbness caused by narrowing of the spinal canal,...
Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion helps relieve neck and radiating arm pain by removing pressure on the nerve roots. The procedure is typically used to treat a herniated or diseased...
Endoscopic techniques for diagnostic purposes have been in use since the late 1970s. The endoscopic surgery techniques that became widely used in the 1990s for other surgery disciplines are now...
A minimally invasive microdiscectomy is a procedure to remove herniated disc material that presses on nerves or the spinal cord causing pain and weakness in the patient. Many ruptured discs...
A minimally invasive laminotomy is a surgical procedure to relieve pressure on nerves that is causing pain and weakness to the patient. A ruptured disc putting pressure on nerves within...
Stenosis is a condition that can develop as a person ages, particularly in those over 50. It is characterized by a narrowing of the spinal canal, which places pressure on...
Using a minimally invasive laminectomy, the location of the incision is often established by an intraoperative X-ray, using fluoroscopy. A skin incision about 1 inch in length is made to...
Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF) is typically used to remove a degenerative disc and relieve pressure on nerve roots in the lumbar spine. highlights the stealth guided fusion and hardware...
Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF®) exposure showing safe and reproducible path to spine with MaXcess® retractor and CoRoent® Interbody Spacer. XLIF® is typically used to treat leg or back pain caused...
Interlaminar Lumbar Instrumented Fusion, ILIF, is typically used to treat back pain caused by spinal stenosis and spondylolisthesis. About the ILIF Procedure During the ILIF procedure, the surgeon makes a...
Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion helps relieve low back pain or leg pain caused by degenerative disc disease. The mini-open ALIF is performed with the patient lying on their back, usually...
The NuVasive® Maximum Access Surgery (MAS) PLIF procedure is a minimally disruptive approach to traditional back surgery. During a PLIF (Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion) procedure, the damaged disc is removed...
Does Swift Spine Institute Minimally Invasive Spine Institute use lasers when performing spine surgery? Is laser spine surgery better than traditional spine surgery? Americans can be attracted to reports of...
Dr. Edward Perry is uniquely trained in the removal of spinal tumors. He is able to remove spinal tumors through very small incisions that minimize tissue trauma. What is the difference between...
O-arm® surgical 3D imaging technology allows precision and minimal disruption during complex spine surgeries Dr. Edward Perry, a fellowship-trained neurosurgeon at Swift Spine Institute was one of the first surgeons...
Swift Spine Institute first in Reno ASC to perform the Intracept procedure, Minimally Invasive Treatment Option for Chronic Back Pain Dr. Hugh McDermott recently became the first in Northern Nevada...
Dr. Edward Perry is the first surgeon in Nevada to perform a multilevel MIS-Oblique Lateral Interbody Fusion (OLIF) Dr. Edward Perry, a fellowship-trained neurosurgeon at Swift Spine Institute, was the...

Experts in Minimally Invasive Surgery

SpineNevada’s spinal neurosurgery program is led by Dr. James Lynch and Dr. Edward Perry, both fellowship-trained in spine. If spine surgery is necessary, it’s important to choose an experienced spine surgeon.

Dr. James Lynch performs a large volume of spine surgeries per year in both hospital and outpatient center settings. Dr. Lynch has been performing minimally invasive spine surgery techniques since 2002. He was the first neurosurgeon in Reno to perform MIS TLIF and MAS PLIF procedures as well as the first to perform both cervical and lumbar artificial disc replacements. He is a national leader in out-patient spine surgery.

Dr. Edward Perry specializes in Minimally Invasive Spine (MIS) techniques and performs over 300 surgeries per year. Furthermore, less than 40 percent of Dr. Perry’s patients require fusions due to his careful patient selection and understanding of spinal biomechanics. He has completed additional training in major deformity and spinal reconstruction techniques. Due to Dr. Perry’s investment in supplemental surgical training, he possesses a unique ability to perform larger complex spinal fusions and revision surgeries on patients that have failed previous surgical interventions.

Dr. Shane Abdunnur was the first in Reno to use the Globus ExcelsiusGPS. This revolutionary robotic navigation platform is the world’s first technology to combine a rigid robotic arm and full navigation capabilities into one adaptable platform for accurate trajectory alignment in spine surgery. ExcelsiusGPS® is Globus Medical’s advanced technology solution designed to enhance safety and improve efficiency for patients, staff and surgeons in the operating room.

Our philosophy is to put the patient first by providing honest, compassionate, state-of-the-art care.

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