New endoscopic spine surgery in Michigan for disc herniation and/or spinal stenosis.

Dr Zamorano and her team are the first and only performing this technique in MI.

Dr. Zamorano performing transforaminal endoscopic discectomy and foraminotomy.

The Michigan Brain and Spine Surgery Center is the first and only practice in Michigan offering the transforaminal endoscopic approach for discetomy and foraminotomy. This minimally invasive technique is an excellent option for patients with disc herniations and/or spinal stenosis.

The procedure is done quite differently from traditional spine surgery. A small incision is made in the side of the patient, and the entire procedure is performed through a small scope. Most of the original disc is preserved and only the damaged portions of the disc are removed.

This technique has been performed in Europe for nearly a decade and has finally arrived in Michigan. The surgery can be performed on patients with prior spine surgery that have a recurrence of disc herniation, far lateral discs, extruded discs, and spinal stenosis.

Thanks to the combination of a growing body of endoscopic knowledge of the anatomy of the intra- and extraforaminal areas, the radiological determination of orientation points for the working zone around the dorsolateral area of the anulus by Kambin and the availability of smaller endoscopes, lateral access became possible. Different types of lateral access have been described by Anthony Yeung, Thomas Hoogland and Sang Ho Lee, et al. The TESSYS® method and joimax® technology combines the access methods and techniques applied by multiple users, as published in numerous articles, and has been applied successfully in thousands of procedures.… [Continue Reading]