Soheila Saami Aldoboni was born in Tehran and at the age of 36 has had more than 800 successful surgeries and she has been involved in more than 3,500 surgeries over 10 years.
Types of cervical disc surgery procedures
In general, cervical disc surgery is performed by different techniques. The two common methods that are performed are the anterior method or the front method and the posterior method or the back of the neck surgery method. Each of these methods is used in specific situation and it is up to the surgeon to choose which is appropriate according to the patient’s condition.
Anterior cervical disc surgery
In some cases, patients have to have surgery on the front of the neck or anterior, and in other cases, the patient needs to have surgery on the back or posterior. Patients who perform cervical disc surgery from the front are patients whose cervical disc has put a lot of pressure on the nerve root or in one or two parts on the spinal cord. In this method, the surgeon enters the anterior area of the neck with incisions of about 2 to 3 cm, and after separating the muscles and vessels that are in front of the neck and they are easily separated by hand, The surgeon reaches the front of the spine and with the radiograph that she does during the surgery, determines the location of the lesion and then with the help of a microscope and with retractor, the disc is completely examined and the disc is gradually emptied. Under a microscope, the surgeon mills the edges of the vertebrae up and down, releasing the bones that have put pressure on the spinal cord and roots, and the parts that have put pressure on the spinal cord are removed, and the space is filled by a device named cage, which is of different materials. Sometimes artificial disks are inserted. The patient can experience a significant improvement in hand pain immediately after surgery, and if there is a compressive effect on the spinal cord, the strength of the lower and upper limbs will increase within a few days. The next day, the patient can be discharged from the hospital. In this method, 1 to 3 disks are accessible. This method has few side effects and can help patients a lot.
Neck disc surgery from the back
This method is mainly used for patients who have cervical stenosis or OPLL disease, in addition to cervical disc discopathy.
The patient is placed on a bed on the abdomen and, after being anesthetized, 10 cm from the back of the neck is opened.
Then, after separating the muscles, the lamina and bones that have put pressure on the spinal cord and roots are completely removed and the spinal cord is completely released. If necessary, the torn disc that puts pressure on the spinal cord is removed from the root. Sometimes patients need fusion or screw implants or bone transplants from behind the vertebrae, and sometimes they do not. The patient is discharged 24 to 48 hours after the operation. This method is suitable for patients with spinal canal stenosis.
360-degree surgery (simultaneous surgery)
The third type of cervical disc surgery, which is generally heavier; Surgery is 360 degrees or simultaneously anterior and posterior. Usually, patients who have very severe neck disc stenosis and the spinal cord is whitened and the cervical discs put pressure on the spinal cord at the same time are high-risk patients. In these cases, in addition to surgery from the back and fixation, the surgeon decides to empty the discs from the front of the neck and the patient receives the surgery from 360 degrees or both sides. The recovery of these patients is 1 to 2 days and after that they are discharged from the hospital with the diagnosis of a doctor. Although this method of surgery is more risky and heavier than the previous two methods, it is necessary for many patients to do this.
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