Minimally invasive surgery is sweeping the spine field. It allows surgeons to perform less morbid procedures with less pain and faster recovery for the patients. Infection rates are also lower with less invasive procedures. Surgeons are using a variety of methods to access the spine in the least disruptive way possible.
"It does matter whether you decompress with a drill or ultrasonic BoneScalpel because the BoneScalpel offers controlled movements when you're working close to important organs," says Daniel Rosenthal, MD, director of spine surgery at Bad Homburg Regional Hospital in Frankfort, Germany. "Using the ultrasonic technology is safer for your patients and it's less stressful for the surgeon because they aren't pulling and twisting with their hands like they would with other instruments."
The BoneScalpel from Misonix uses ultrasonic technology to make spine surgery safer and reduce complications, which is a huge advancement in the field. "The BoneScalpel gives surgeons the ability to control their work in small places," says Dr. Rosenthal. "It first cuts without twisting or rotating. You need much less force to control the blade to make sure it doesn't slip."
The BoneScalpel has a higher economic value than conventional drills, including its efficiency in the operation room as it decreases OR time, has fewer complications, lower infection rates and less blood loss.
"Shorter operating room times create a huge savings," says Juan Uribe, MD, director of the complex and minimally invasive spine section in the department of neurosurgery at the University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. "You are decreasing the amount of time spent on the procedure by doing the bone resection with the BoneScalpel. There are a lot of advantages."
Dr. Uribe continued, "The BoneScalpel has changed the way I perform minimally invasive spine procedures. It enables a more effective decompression of the lateral recess and foramen than I was able to do with traditional instruments. My procedures are also more efficient with the BoneScalpel as I now only require one instrument to perform the decompression, where as in the past, I was using multiple instruments."
The technology is easy to adopt, said Dr. Uribe, and it can be used for tumor, deformity, trauma and degenerative cases. The BoneScalpel may also widen the spectrum of minimally invasive techniques in spine surgery.
"Each surgeon has to figure out how to get the most out of their procedures, and this ultrasonic instrument can help surgeons achieve that," says Dr. Rosenthal. "There are some surgeons who like to push the envelope and stay on the cutting edge of spine surgery, which is moving toward less invasive procedures."
This ultrasonic technology is relatively easy for surgeons to incorporate into their practice, although basic training is required. The field of ultrasonics and Misonix technology will likely continue to grow in the future.
"Misonix blasted the field wide open," says Dr. Rosenthal. "Everywhere we need to have a precise and good bone resection, we can use the BoneScalepel because it has different blades and shavers. It's good for drilling and removing bone layer by layer."
This articles is sponsored by Misonix.