Back Pain Relief
Painful bulges on the spinal column can be treated without an incision, according to Dr. Jeffrey A. Stone, chief of interventional neuroradiology, who discussed the procedure—percutaneous diskectomy—May 2 during the 44th annual meeting of the American Society of Neuroradiology in San Diego.
The disks that cushion the spinal column lose elasticity over time, which can cause gelatinous disk innards to bulge, pressing on nearby nerves and causing pain in the lower back and legs, Dr. Stone said.
This latest approach to treating disk herniation uses X-ray to guide insertion of a needle through skin and muscle directly into the disk and eliminate the portion of the bulging nucleus that is causing pain, Dr. Stone said.
After accessing the disk, the puncturing stylet is removed so the needle then functions as a cannula through which devices are inserted to vaporize or suction out excess gelatinous substance.
“The goal,” said Dr. Stone, “is to reduce the pressure and inflammatory factors in the disk with a minimal amount of removal.”