Lumbar Microdiscectomy Surgery
Open discectomy is the most common surgical treatment for ruptured or herniated discs of the lumbar spine. When the outer wall of a disc, the annulus fibrosus, becomes weakened, it may tear allowing the soft inner part of the disc, the nucleus pulposus, to push its way out. This is called disc herniation, disc proplapse or a slipped or bulging disc.
Under general anesthesia, open discectomy is normally performed (the patient is unconscious) and generally involves a one-day hospital stay. It is carried out while the patient lies face down or in a kneeling position. The surgeon must make an incision of approximately one inch in the skin over the affected region of the spine during the operation.
Muscle tissue is separated from the bone (lamina) above and below the damaged disc and retractors protect the muscle and skin away from the surgical site so that the surgeon has a clear view of the vertebrae and the disks. In certain cases, bone and ligaments can need to be removed to allow the surgeon to visualize and then access the disk without damaging the nerve tissue