The number of people suffering from spine problems is on the rise; the most common of them being a herniated disc and spinal canal stenosis. Herniated disc is more common in the age group of 25 to 35 years while spinal canal stenosis is common among older people. Hitherto, both these disorders were treated through conventional spine surgeries which required an incision of about 12cms to be made and the patient took a longer time to recover.
Endoscopic Spinal Surgery, which was introduced in Europe, US & other countries about five years ago and recently available in India, has dramatically changed the treatment options for patients suffering from spine disorders. In Endoscopic Spinal Surgery, an incision of anly 2cms is made and an endoscope (a 2mm camera) is inserted into the vertebral column to free the spinal cord of pressure created due to extended discs and enlarged bones.The advantages of the system as stated by Dr. Amit Jhala of Chirayu Hospital in Ahmedabad are that there is less tissue damage and lesser blood loss and the patient can be discharged within two days of the procedure. This method, the Micro Endoscopic Discectomy Method (MED) is also being used in Bangalore and Delhi apart from Ahmedabad where it was recently introduced.
