Minimally Invasive Scoliosis Surgery
Minimally invasive spine surgery involves overall techniques aimed at minimizing stress on the body during the surgical procedure. A minimally invasive surgery may involve surgery performed through multiple smaller incisions with the goal being to decrease tissue trauma and minimize cutting or retraction of the muscular tissue around the spine. New advanced techniques have been developed to allow surgeons to achieve similar goals to traditional "open" procedures while decreasing overall stress to the body during the surgical procedure.
Minimally invasive surgical procedures for patients with scoliosis are available depending on the symptoms the patient is having, as well as the type of scoliosis present. For some patients scoliosis correction can be performed through smaller incisions, occasionally with the aid of endoscopic visualization (very small devices with cameras designed for viewing the internal portions of the body). The laparoscopic technique was first developed during the 1980s and has been more recently used for spinal surgery to allow for visualization while minimizing disruption of the tissues around the spine.
Recent technique has also focused on correcting scoliosis using a posterior approach in the back of the spine through multiple small incisions to minimize disruption of the supportive tissues around the spine at the time of the surgery. These techniques still involve spine fusion to ultimately correct and stabilize the scoliosis.
Some younger patients with scoliosis may also be treated with non-fusion technology. The goal of these procedures is to slow down or stabilize growth on one side of the spine while allowing continued growth on the other side of the spine to ultimately balance and minimize progression of scoliosis. These procedures are most appropriate for patients who are still growing and have smaller scoliosis curves (less than 40◦).
