Lahey's Spine Center team currently performs 800 to 900 spine surgeries per year, making ours one of the busiest programs in the Greater Boston area. We offer expertise in a broad range of procedures:
Discectomy
A herniated or ruptured disc is removed from the cervical spine (neck) or lumbar spine (lower back) to eliminate pain associated with the damaged disc pressing on sensitive nerve tissue. At Lahey, all discectomies-whether cervical or lumbar-are performed microsurgically through small incisions.
Laminectomy
Bone in the back portion of the spine is removed to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots. It is most commonly performed to alleviate leg pain caused by a herniated disc (a rupture of the tissue that separates vertebrae in the spinal column) or spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spaces in the spine).
Fusion
A procedure in which two or more of the vertebrae (bones) in the spine are joined together to immobilize that portion of the spine.
Disc replacement
A novel procedure where an artificial mechanical disc is used to replace the damaged or degenerated disc in order to preserve motion and avoid fusion.
Minimally Invasive Procedures
Surgeons make small incisions in the back, chest or abdomen to access the spine, and then specialized video cameras and instruments are inserted to help guide the surgery. Minimally invasive surgeries offer patients a number of benefits including less blood loss during surgery, smaller scars, reduced postoperative pain, and shorter hospital stays and recoveries. At Lahey, we offer the following minimally invasive spine surgeries:
- Laparoscopic fusion
- Percutaneous fixation
- Spinal cord stimulation
- Stereotactic radiosurgery
- Thoracoscopic sympathectomy for hyperhidrosis (surgery to treat excessive sweating)
- Vertebroplasty
Intraoperative Monitoring
At Lahey, a neurophysiologist conducts intraoperative monitoring throughout surgical procedures to measure spinal cord and nerve root function. This state-of-the-art monitoring helps guide the neurosurgeon and prevents neurologic injury from occurring.
