Spine Surgery
In recent years, spinal surgery has adopted the endoscopic or minimally invasive surgical techniques that are commonly used in many types of surgery today. This trend has significantly improved spine surgery, bringing patients less blood loss, less pain, lower infection rates, and shorter hospital stays. Patients generally return to normal activities in weeks, as opposed to months with open surgery.
For example, minimally invasive spinal fusion surgery uses surgical openings of 2 cm versus two to three inches. Blood loss is only 100-200 cc compared to 500-1000 cc with open surgery. Most importantly, the surgery preserves more of the normal anatomy of the spine, allowing for faster recovery, less muscle damage and reducing the need for future surgeries to remove scar tissue.
At Beaumont, minimally invasive procedures include:
- Spinal fusion
- Pedicle screw fixation
- Laminectomy
- Lumbar spinal stenosis surgery
- Decompression laminectomy for stenosis
- Decompression of nerves and spinal cord lining
- Artificial disc replacement for the neck and back
- Artificial vertebral interbody replacement
- Discectomy
- Minimally invasive spinal reconstruction for degenerative scoliosis
Beaumont's staff includes spine surgeon Mick Perez-Cruet, M.D., a national leader in the development of minimally invasive spine surgery. He has written several important texts on these techniques and conducts research on using stem cells to treat degenerative disc disease using intervertebral disc regeneration.
To achieve the best results, some back surgeries, including for removal of certain types of spinal cord tumors, must still be done using open microsurgical techniques.
Spine Reconstruction Surgery
Beaumont's Spine Reconstruction program brings together our full scope of spinal services with the expertise of specialists in neurosurgery, radiologists, neurologists and medical spine management, as well as rehabilitation and pain management.
Our experts excel in the diagnosis and treatment of spinal disorders, including scoliosis and spinal deformities, spinal stenosis, Chiari malformation and spinal tumors.
The program integrates spinal research, clinical practice, and education, with the goal of improving patient care.
Other Services
To ensure complete patient care following treatment, Beaumont offers a dedicated neuro-critical care program for spinal cord injuries and surgical patients.
Our Spine Fracture Clinic provides specialized care for patients with accidental and traumatic spine fractures.
Beaumont offers the latest in imaging equipment, combined with expert staff, to provide accurate views of the spine. X-ray of the back and neck is the most commonly used diagnostic image tool.
A spinal angiogram may also be used to visualize the vessels of the spinal column.
A special Spinal Physical Therapy program is designed to evaluate and treat patients with back injuries or following back surgery.
Our Pain Management program tailors pain management to each patient's needs, whether it is after surgery, during rehabilitation or while undergoing treatment for cancer.
