Mark Prevost II, MD, a surgeon at the Jasper-based Alabama Back Institute, has become the third physician in the state to offer minimally invasive spine operations, according to a Sept. 6 report from CBS affiliate WIAT.
Through the minimally invasive technique, patients will have the opportunity to have some decompression surgeries done with only an 8-millimeter cut.
Minimally invasive surgeries can spare the soft tissue around the spine because surgeons can insert a small camera to see inside without having to cut into muscles or ligaments. Patients who are candidates for endoscopic spine surgery will be able to go home just an hour or two after the operation, saving recovery time and pain, according to the report.