Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

Minimally invasive spine surgery

Promoting the body’s natural ability to move.

Patients undergoing spine surgery with Dr. Albano will be happy to know that most procedures he performs are minimally invasive. Because minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) allows for much smaller incisions than traditional open surgery, damage to surrounding muscle and tissue is avoided. Other benefits include:

  • Quicker recover time over traditional surgery
  • Less blood loss
  • Decreased postoperative pain
  • Smaller incision means less scarring
  • Improved recovery time
  • Less risk of infection after surgery
  • Fewer surgical complications

 

Although minimally invasive surgery can’t be used to correct every spine issue, Dr. Albano performs it whenever possible and is an expert in all the most advanced techniques, including the following:

minimally invasive endoscopic spine surgery with dr. joseph albano

Endoscopic Surgery

Endoscopic spine surgery is an advanced form of minimally invasive surgery that is designed to give patients an even quicker recovery time and less recurring pain. It is considered the least invasive of the minimally invasive types of surgeries and Dr. Albano is one of the elite few spine surgeons in the world who is qualified to perform endoscopic spine surgery.

 

With endoscopic spine surgery, Dr. Albano makes a small incision of less than a half-inch and inserts an endoscope – a small tube approximately the size of a #2 pencil – through the incision by gently pushing muscles to the side. The tube houses a light source, irrigation channel, a working channel for micro instrumentation, and a high-definition camera. The camera is connected to a monitor that Dr. Albano uses to view your spine without harming the muscles or ligaments.

 

Small incisions and hyper-targeting of the surgical site means even less trauma to skin, muscle, and soft tissues resulting in less blood loss and a faster recovery.

minimally invasive motion sparing spine surgery with dr. joseph albano

Motion-Sparing Spine Surgery

Although an expert in both fusion and motion-sparing spine surgery, Dr. Albano considers himself a motion-sparing spine surgeon and is well-versed in the most advanced minimally invasive techniques.

 

Motion-sparing spinal surgery gives you the best of both worlds – it relieves pressure on your spinal cord and nerves, and preserves your range of motion, without having to fuse the affected area.

 

The most common motion-sparing spine surgery Dr. Albano performs is artificial disc replacement for both the cervical (neck) and lumbar (lower back) areas of the spine.

robot-assisted surgery with dr. joseph albano new jersey spine surgeon

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 spine surgery with dr. joseph albano

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.

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