A New Minimally Invasive Lumbar Fusion Procedure at the Bay Area Spine Institute Offers an Escape from a Lifetime of Pain and Narcotics.Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers WALNUT CREEK Walnut Creek, residential city (1990 pop. 60,569), Contra Costa co., W Calif., in the San Francisco Bay area; inc. 1914. It is the trade and shipping center of an extensive agricultural area where walnuts are among the major product. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 9, 2004 A minimally invasive modality modality /mo·dal·i·ty/ (mo-dal´i-te) 1. a method of application of, or the employment of, any therapeutic agent, especially a physical agent. 2. , APERTURE(TM), manufactured by DePuy Spine, is benefiting lumbar surgery patients with less reliance on post-operative pain medications and a faster return to a pain free lifestyle. Paul B. Nottingham, MD at The Bay Area Spine Institute, was chosen as one of the elite surgeons to utilize this technology in his treatment of patients who suffer from spinal disorders. APERTURE(TM) eliminates the need to cut through muscle tissue when applying bone graft bone graft Orthopedic surgery Sterilized bony tissue, often of cadaveric origin, used to fill and/or 'sculpt' bone defects Indications Spinal fusion, revision of failed articular prostheses, filling traumatic or malignant bone defects, or periodontal defects. during lumbar fusion surgery. After one year and 30 procedures, Dr. Nottingham has achieved a 100% rate of fusion success and has cut the patient's recovery time in half. Kathy Thoren was plagued with Degenerative Disc Disease Degeneration of the intervertebral disc, which is often called "degenerative disc disease" (DDD) of the spine, is a common disorder of the lower spine and for some people can cause low back pain and/or leg pain (sciatica). and had been slowly losing her mobility. When she retired in 2001, her body fell into rapid decline. Her doctor at that time felt the only course of action was to prescribe drugs to mask the pain. His prognosis was based on the outdated assumption that Lumbar Fusions are inherently invasive and carry with it a severe risk to the bones. Had it not been for a combination of events that led her to seek alternate opinions, she would have spent the rest of her life dependant on Adj. 1. dependant on - determined by conditions or circumstances that follow; "arms sales contingent on the approval of congress" contingent on, contingent upon, dependant upon, dependent on, dependent upon, depending on, contingent drugs to deal with the pain. "When I retired, it was my intention to start my own business with my husband. Well, since the pain debilitated de·bil·i·tat·ed adj. Showing impairment of energy or strength; enfeebled. See Synonyms at weak. Adj. 1. debilitated - lacking strength or vigor asthenic, enervated, adynamic me for so long, that goal was obviously put on hold." It was then that she realized a sense of urgency and turned to a family member, a physiatrist physiatrist /phys·iat·rist/ (-trist) a physician who specializes in physiatry. phys·i·at·rist n. 1. A physician who specializes in physical medicine. 2. , for help. This family member told her about the new advances in Minimally Invasive spine techniques and encouraged her to contact Dr. Paul B. Nottingham, who confirmed that she had been suffering needlessly. Her procedure was performed in April, and by August she felt so good, she gladly threw away all pain medication she had leftover. "I remember going to my pharmacist and saying, 'I'm done. I don't need you anymore.'" Positive outcomes like Kathy's have proven that the APERTURE(TM) Spinal Access System has struck a unique balance between the current limitations of percutaneous (through the skin) surgery and the fusion quality and morbidity of open surgery. Traditionally, even a "minimally invasive" lumbar surgery would involve small incisions on the surface, followed by damaging incisions in the muscle tissue to gain access to the spinal column spinal column, bony column forming the main structural support of the skeleton of humans and other vertebrates, also known as the vertebral column or backbone. It consists of segments known as vertebrae linked by intervertebral disks and held together by ligaments. . Now, by utilizing APERTURE(TM), the surgeon can bypass these tissue cuts and gain spinal access through a naturally occurring interior muscle plane, simply by moving the tissue aside with a single finger. The advantageous angle of access to the spinal column allows the surgeon to insert more bone grafting Bone Grafting Definition Bone grafting is a surgical procedure by which new bone or a replacement material is placed into spaces between or around broken bone (fractures) or holes in bone (defects) to aid in healing. without as much tissue dissection as found in other techniques. Dr. Hieu T. Ball, a surgeon at The Bay Area Spine Institute, reports, "Optimal bone graft techniques improve fusion success rates while minimally traumatizing the soft tissue and muscle. This allows for quicker recovery time after surgery." Dr. Nottingham adds, "In our series of 30 patients to date, we have seen the following outcomes: Hospital stays and return to activity times are halved halve tr.v. halved, halv·ing, halves 1. To divide (something) into two equal portions or parts. 2. To lessen or reduce by half: halved the recipe to serve two. 3. . Fusion rates are 100%." The APERTURE(TM) procedure can be done for any patient suffering from painful lumbar discs or spine instability. About Bay Area Spine Institute: Located at 675 Ygnacio Valley Road, Walnut Creek, CA 94596, their pursuit of excellence, both operatively and non-operatively, has established The Institute as a regional leader in outcome research of emerging technologies. |
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