According to experts at the September 2016 Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), “LES is more” when it comes to spine surgery. It’s safer for the patient, speeds recovery time, and is simpler for surgeons to perform. LES, or Less Exposure Surgery, is based on the philosophy of performing surgery by designing improved technologies and techniques to pinpoint and correct a problem while minimizing collateral tissue damage.
At the conference, which highlighted the need to improve the quality of neurosurgical care worldwide through clinical advancements, neurosurgeons Dr. Fassil Mesfin and Dr. Juan Valdivia, as well as orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kingsley Chin (founder of the LES society) emphasized the differences between LES and two other forms of spinal fusion surgeries: traditional open surgery and minimally invasive surgery.
Traditional open surgery, which requires larger incisions, has the advantage of hands on contact and greater visualization of the surgical site, but causes more pain and blood loss and requires a longer recovery time. By comparison, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) relies on much smaller incisions and X-ray guidance, but decreases the surgeon’s direct visualization of the patient’s anatomy. So there still may be some collateral damage such as delayed radiation effects and inadvertent removal of normal tissues.
Less Exposure Surgery, the most advanced of the three approaches, uses fluoroscopy to reduce tissue disruption and promote faster recovery times. In essence, LES combines the benefits of traditional surgery (direct visualization and hands-on contact) with the benefits of MIS (minimal scarring and tissue disruption) to create a better surgical outcome.
Part of the reason that over 200 surgeons have trained in LES is due to groundbreaking new surgery innovations that consistently help elevate the procedure above its predecessors. AxioMed’s new Total Disc Replacement (TDR) device was highlighted at the CNS conference as an example of one of these innovations. TDR, which uses viscoelastic technologies to emulate the human lumbar and cervical disc, can be used in an outpatient setting, allowing the patient to go home the same day.
Precision technologies such as LES and other emerging surgical techniques call for close, repetitive, peer-to-peer training by experts in the field. Invivox’s training platform allows neurological surgeons from all around the world to conveniently register for in-person training tailored to their needs and interests. Stay up-to-date with the constantly evolving innovations in spine surgery by training with your peers.
Crédits photo : unsplash.com (jesse orrico)
