Other Procedures
Expertise in Motion
In addition to his lumbar and cervical specialties, Dr. Albano also offers the following specialized procedures:
Kyphoplasty
Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive surgical procedure Dr. Albano uses to treat fractures of the vertebrae typically caused by conditions such as osteoporosis or trauma. Vertebral fractures can cause extreme pain, spine deformity, loss of mobility, and loss of height. Kyphoplasty is designed to correct all these issues.
Many people with vertebral fractures recover without surgery. However, if a person is in severe pain that doesn’t respond to non-surgical treatment, kyphoplasty may be an option.
During the procedure, Dr. Albano injects bone cement into the fracture through a small incision. In order to address the curvature of the spine caused by these fractures and restore height, the procedure also involves inflating a small balloon in the vertebrae to create space before injecting the cement.
The entire procedure typically takes less than an hour per vertebrae and patients can often go home the same day as their procedures.
Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Fusion
SI joint fusion is a minimally invasive surgical option Dr. Albano performs to provide immediate sacroiliac (SI) joint stabilization and allow long-term fusion.
Your sacroiliac joints connect your hip bones to either side of your sacrum (tailbone). It is an essential component for shock absorption to prevent impact forces from reaching the spine. When problems in that area occur, it can cause significant low back pain and sometimes into the buttocks and legs. Degenerative joint issues, traumatic injury, or inflammatory joint disease are the most common reasons SI joint fusion may be recommended.
After making small incisions on your hip, Dr. Albano uses X-ray scans to view where instrumentation needs to go. He will then make small holes in the sacrum and ilium where he places implants to make the joint more stable. Dr. Albano may also place a bone graft on the ilium to encourage bone growth across the joint. Fusion occurs during the healing process following the surgery.
Spinal Deformity Reconstruction
Certain sections of the spine have some degree of natural curvature, but when the spine becomes abnormally curved because of age-related degeneration, congenital abnormalities, or neuromuscular disease, it becomes a deformity.
There are multiple causes of spinal deformities, including
- Increased forward curvature (Kyphosis)
- Increased sideways curvature (Scoliosis)
- Loss of curvature (Flat-Back Syndrome)
Spinal deformities can cause progressive pain and disability. The loss of the normal contours of the back can cause difficulty with standing upright and walking, which can result in severe pain and fatigue. Degenerative scoliosis can cause progressive back pain, and severe scoliosis can eventually cause compression of the spinal nerves, resulting in radiating leg and buttock pain.
Dr. Albano is experienced in evaluating and treating spinal deformity and uses the latest instrumentation and technologies to optimize surgical outcomes, including minimally invasive approaches, robotic assisted spine surgery, and open deformity correction procedures.
Coflex Interlaminar Stabilization
Dr. Albano uses the Coflex Interlaminar Stabilization procedure to treat moderate to severe spinal stenosis, or the narrowing of the spinal canal caused by numerous conditions, including bone spurs, thickening of ligaments, and collapsing disc heights.
The Coflex device itself is a single-piece titanium implant that he places in the back of your spine to support and preserve your lumbar motion. This device is amazingly simple, very strong, and provides spinal stability without having to fuse your bones together.
During the procedure, Dr. Albano will first perform surgical decompression, which removes pressure on the impinged nerves. He will then insert the Coflex device through the same small incision. The device is positioned on the lamina, which is the strongest bone in the back of your spine.
The unique design of the Coflex device maintains stability in the spine after direct surgical decompression while preserving more natural movement in the treated area.
The benefits of the Coflex Interlaminar Stabilization procedure include:
- Addresses back and leg pain
- Prevents collapse and re-stenosis
- Preserves motion
- May minimize adjacent degeneration
- Return to daily activities significantly sooner
Robot-assisted
surgery
Using minimally invasive robot-assisted surgery, Dr. Albano can perform many kinds of complex procedures with a high level of precision and control.
First, Dr. Albano uses a specialized robotic arm to insert a spinal fixation into position with the highest accuracy. He controls the arm at all times and uses high-definition stereotactic cameras to monitor the position of his robotic instruments guiding them to the optimal position.
This advanced technique allows Dr. Albano to perform delicate and complex procedures that may be impossible for other surgeons using more traditional methods.
Navigation-assisted
surgery
Similar to a car or mobile phone GPS, navigation-assisted spine surgery continuously tracks locations of the patient’s anatomy while displaying them on a monitor before, during, and after surgery in real-time, three-dimensional images of the patient’s spine in relation to the surgical instruments he is using.
With navigation-assisted technology, Dr. Albano can get a better view of the patient’s anatomy, which, in turn, gives greater surgical accuracy and an increased ability to implement minimally invasive surgical techniques.