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Minimally invasive spine surgery is accomplishing the same
end goal of open traditional surgery,
but it is just through
smaller incisions, less soft tissue disruption,
less blood loss, and therefore, typically less pain and better outcome.
The spine
we know is a very complicated discipline
in medicine and dating back to 100 years we know that a few things do very well
when you operate on people spines
and one of those
is to decompress nerves that are pushed on.
The other thing is to correct any deformity or instability that is
clinically significant,
and with MIS surgery, we can accomplish those goals through less invasive
techniques so that the outcomes are great,
leave the hospital sooner,
less blood loss, less pain,
and typically better outcomes.
XLIF is a fantastic procedure. It has really revolutionized my practice.
It has allowed me to treat
people who
typically I would not operate on
with open traditional techniques;
therefore, a lot of older patients. It’s usually best
for a deformity
like scoliosis correction
also it works great with
what we call spondylolisthesis, where one vertebral body is sliding forward in relation to
the other.
Those two conditions it works out great. I mean it’s a small incision through
your side.
Blood loss is typically nothing compared to traditional open techniques.
It can be done as an outpatient or patients typically go home the next day.
So I am very enthusiastic about the procedure.
I have been doing it now for over
five years and
I have really
enjoyed the technique and teach other people how to do it as well.
The advantages of American patients to go to Cyprus number one there is a large
population of
patients here who are uninsured,
and they cannot simply afford spine surgery because
the cost of some standard spine surgeries
Cost
$100,000, $200,000, and 99%
of the patient population, they just can’t afford that.
So with Cyprus, we can perform the same surgeries, same techniques
for a fraction of the cost.
So that patient population without insurance has access to world class
spine surgery.
The other advantage is
as surgeons, or doctors I should say,
we are being told by some insurance companies what to do or what not to do.
So we’re getting a lot of care denied.
So if I want to do a certain surgical procedure
on you and I submit it to the insurance
and they say, no you can’t do it.
So they won’t allow us to do spine surgery. So those patients who are having trouble
with their insurance carriers
repeatedly denied access to surgery, they can go to Cyprus
and have the same procedure done for an affordable price
The other advantage I see that for the U.S. population is
newer technologies
For example, artificial disc replacement.
It has been approved by the FDA since 2003.
Most insurance companies are still calling it investigational and denying it.
So those patients they either have to get a fusion or they don’t get
surgery at all
and if they want access to that technology, we can do that in Cyprus for them and it’s affordable.
Probably the thing that I’m most excited about AIMIS is to be involved in a group with
such quality world class surgeons.
If you look at every surgeon
who is a part of AIMIS,
we are all leaders in the MIS technology and to be a part of that
group, that’s the most exciting.
The other thing that’s most exciting is I believe we are going to provide
world class care to patients who normally would not have access to that
either because they don’t have insurance and can’t afford it or the country
they live.
So we’re going to open up avenues
to the Middle East, perhaps China, Russia,
and bring new MIS technologies to patients who normally would not get such
world class care.