What is minimally invasive spinal surgery?

This is spinal surgery that is done with smaller incisions, less blood loss, less operative time, and less pain to the patient than a standard open operation. 

There are times when a minimally invasive operation is not appropriate for a patient, but it is important to have the opportunity to discuss all options available. 

Minimally invasive should never mean minimally effective.

The type of minimally invasive surgery varies depending on the goal of surgery and should be compared to a standard open operation in terms of success rate and patient satisfaction. Examples of minimally invasive surgery include percutaneous pedicle screw placement in the lumbar spine (Sextant pedicle screws) and a unilateral muscle splitting approach and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion in the lumbar spine. 

There are also minimally invasive bone graft harvesting techniques that are often employed when your own bone is needed for fusion. In some cases, infusion can be used to completely eliminate the need for harvesting your own bone.