Endoscopic Treatment

What is done?

If bone quality is poor (e.g. due to osteoporosis) and adds to a traumatic vertebral fracture, a standard balloon cementation (kyphoplasty) of the affected vertebra is often inadequate.

Due to the arising instability and the resulting malposition of the afflicted segment, an additional realignment and stabilisation with implants is required.

This usually means a large skin incision and a displacement of the back muscles. This would lead to pronounced damage of these structures and a considerable burden of pain would be inflicted on the patient caused by the intervention.

However, with the latest techniques and implants, it is possible to achieve a multi-segment fixation and concomitant alignment through small skin incisions (percutaneously) – completely sparing the entire spine musculature. Due to the small lesions, the risk of infection or delayed healing is a lot smaller than with the common procedures. The time for surgery is greatly reduced compared to the usual open surgeries when carried out by the surgeons. Hospital stay will be significantly shortened as the marginal post-operative pain allows for instantaneous mobilisation of the patient and no bed rest is required.

Even multi-segment fixations in combination with complex reconstruction procedures – like replacements of vertebrae – are feasible with this state-of-the-art endoscopic technique.

If surgical treatment of the anterior spine is necessary it will not be done through big incisions in the thoracic area but through smaller access points. Then all treatments for the existing problem will be carried out endoscopically/thoracoscopically under imaging control. By using this technique, it is possible to treat or correct extended inflammatory processes, a tumour or misalignments.