[0] YOUR PROBLEMS: Dear Miriam.

Byline: Miriam Stoppard 

I READ in The Mirror about a new operation called IDET. I wonder if you could help explain what it is as I suffer from severe lower back pain which also affects my legs and I think it would be just the sort of thing I need.

VINTRADISCAL Electro Thermal (IDET) therapy is a non-invasive procedure for people who suffer from recurrent low back pain caused by a slipped disc.

The treatment can have startling results in the right patients. There are about 20 specialists in the country who practice the technique and your doctor may know if there is one in your area.

To make sure you're suitable, tests, including an MRI scan, will be done.

The technique involves introducing what looks like a simple copper wire into your disc and manoeuvring it so that it coils round inside.

A needle is inserted through the skin directly into the damaged disc.

A special catheter, is fed through the needle into the disc.

Controlled levels of heat are then applied via the catheter to the damaged disc wall for 17 minutes, causing the wall to contract and numbing the painful nerve fibre.

Patients are lightly sedated but awake throughout.

Previously, the only treatment was conventional spinal surgery which can take up to three hours and can include a bone graft and the insertion of screws and plates.