What is a minimally invasive discectomy?
A minimally invasive discectomy is an outpatient surgical procedure to remove herniated disk material. The procedure may be performed in the operating room or special procedures room. Patients are administered a local anesthesia, consisting of an injection of anesthetic in the muscle (not a spinal block) and also IV sedation. Then, with the help of X-ray fluoroscopy and a magnified video for guidance, a small specially designed probe is inserted through the skin of the back, between the vertebrae and into the herniated disk space. Work is done down the hollow center of the probe to remove a portion of the offending disk. The bulging disk can be pushed back into place and also disk fragments and small bone spurs can be removed. On average, the procedure takes about 45 minutes to an hour. X-ray exposure is not significant. You normally will feel little if any pain or discomfort. Upon completion, the probe is removed and a small Band-Aid® is placed over the very small opening. There are n
