Minimally invasive cervical fusion is a new option for the treatment of neck and arm pain for herniated slipped discs, stenosis (tightness), instability of the neck or prior failed neck surgery. This revolutionary procedure is done through tiny skin incisions with little to no blood loss. X-ray is used to find the abnormal level and placement of a tube into the facet joint. Small instruments are used to clean out the facet joint and expose bone for fusion.A small titanium cage is then placed percutaneous into the facet joint to “jack up” the foramen and un-pinch the nerve. The cage stabilizes the spine for bony fusion take place.
There are many advantage of minimally invasive cervical fusion including minimal to no damage to skin, muscle, bone or disk. This decreases the risk of destabilizing the spine that may lead to additional surgeries in the future. The patient often experiences immediate improvements of their symptomsand quicker return to function because there is less surgical pain due to the small procedure. The risk of swallowing and horse voice is reduced since there is no manipulation of esophagus and trachealike in an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Furthermore, the surgery doesn’t “burn any bridges” preventing future operations if needed.
Minimally Invasive Cervical Fusion is a good option for treatment of neck and arm pain in select patients.