Sometimes when someone hears the word ‘surgery,’ they often get paralyzed with fear. Even courageous individuals get little uneasy and perturbed when they encounter such a notion. It used to be a terrible situation that usually meant in the past that the pain would get deeper before it got better. It is all true if you suffer from a condition that you have been experiencing for a long time. Don’t get panic!
Keyhole operation is different. It does not cause the same pain that might have been caused by a previous open operation. But before you undergo keyhole surgery; You must find out what you will experience. That’s why here in this blog, Dr Surya Prakash Rao Voleti talks about the advantages and disadvantages of keyhole operations. Over the past 15 years, Technology has revolutionized the way many spine procedures can be performed using keyhole techniques.
What is Keyhole Surgery:
Keyhole surgery, also known as “minimally invasive surgery” or just “key surgery,” describes the method of performing operations on the body without requiring large skin incisions to gain access to the spine. Any incision or access procedure causes some collateral damage to the body. By Minimal access techniques like (MISS), such damage can be minimized.
At present, doctors perform spinal operations using KeyHole surgery. The main reasons for this are:
- Shorter recovery time (patients can return to normal activities within a week after surgery).
- Usually, no prolonged hospitalization is required after the procedure.
- Scars that are much smaller than open surgeries
- Generally, the pain decreases after the procedure.
However, the KeyHole approach has several potential risk factors compared to conventional open surgery. Specifically, they are related to two factors: first, that the surgeon uses a device that works from a distance and does not work directly with his hands so that he cannot feel body tissue. Second; visualization of the organ through a camcorder that does not offer the same depth of field as a direct display. Using a Microscope instead of the endoscope can solve this problem. Surgeons who routinely perform KeyHole operations have specially trained to know for these differences. Therefore, the risk of an accidental injury decreases with the right surgeon.
The choice of Key Hole or conventional surgery often depends on the type size and location of the disease.
How Is Keyhole Surgery Performed?
- The keyhole procedure is done usually with general anaesthesia. It means that people undergoing sleep during surgery and wake up after the process is complete.
- After the patient falls asleep, and the patient is positioned, the surgeon inserts a small metal tube, called a cannula, into the spine surgery site after serial dilations of the soft tissue. This tube is a telescope with a miniature camcorder that projects high-quality video images onto a television screen. Some times special micro lumbar retractors are used which facilitates the use of microscope and magnification.
- After the procedure is finished, the surgeon stitches the incision, and the patient is taken to the recovery room to wake up from anaesthesia.
- Keyhole surgery is complicated and not suitable for everyone. Is that right for you depends on the problem right in your back. This operation also has a slightly higher risk of accidents than open surgery.
Pros of Keyhole Surgery:
- Keyhole surgery offers many advantages over conventional surgery, which is performed with a large incision. Patients have far less discomfort and require less pain relief medications. They can get up and walk early and return to their normal activities within a week.
- Keyholes surgery also less likely tend to develop wound infections because the incisions are tiny.
- As patients can get out of bed early, they are less likely to get deformities or pneumonia compared to conventional surgery. After the wound has healed, the scar is almost invisible, so patients no longer need to be afraid of scar marks.
- Many spinal interventions are carried out on an outpatient basis or with just one day stay with Key Hole surgery.
- Keyhole surgery is considered minimally invasive surgery. It means that the incision is tiny compared to conventional surgical procedures. The cut is usually shorter than or equal to an inch, but you can get 3-4 incisions. The number of cuts required depends upon the levels of the surgery the patient needs to be treated.
- You will also experience less pain, less bleeding, and less risk of infection after surgery. By reducing this risk, you can go home early and have fewer scars that cannot make visible.
Cons With Keyhole Surgery:
- Not many cons. Keyhole surgery requires the patient to have general anaesthesia, which means that the patient needs to connect to the respiratory apparatus during operation. It can cause a sore throat after surgery.
- Many times patients are not the right candidates for the keyhole or minimally invasive spine surgery. In such situations, appropriate open surgery must be performed. Trying to do MISS for such patients can sometimes create more harm. Overall by correct patient selection, these procedures will give excellent results in the long term.
- All operations involve a particular risk of infection, and although the risk is reduced by keyhole surgery.
- A spine surgeon will often tell you, risk and benefits that outweigh the potential risks, because you can live a healthy life without pain after surgery.
- You need to talk to the spine surgeon if you want to know whether keyhole surgery is the right choice for you or not. Several things can make you a better candidate for this type of surgery, and some problems can add to the complications but rarely. In general, however, most people do not have problems after surgery.
Conclusion:
Most patients can safely undergo KeyHole surgery. This procedure is often easier for patients than open procedures. Patients who have undergone several operations in the past may not be candidates for minimally invasive surgery because scarring can accumulate after surgery and can make safe Key Hole procedures difficult. Your surgeon can decide whether to carry out specific operations using conventional surgery or laparoscopy.
If necessary, surgeons sometimes have to change the KeyHole procedure into an open method, especially to minimize the possibility of tissue damage or bleeding. It is a reasonably straightforward process, and decisions are usually taken by a spine surgeon, depending on the patient’s conditions.
To know more about the spinal keyhole surgery and problems of the spine, contact Dr. Surya Prakash Rao Voleti spine Surgeon at +91 9848024699 or book your appointment!
