Lateral Access Surgery

	Lateral Access Fusion	Other MIS Fusions	Traditional Spine Fusion
Superior Access to Spine Anatomy
Completely Spares Back Muscles
Small Incision

Dr. Kevin James specializes in Lateral Access Surgery and is a member of SOLAS (Society of Lateral Access Surgeons). SOLAS members are a select group of surgeons who have performed more Lateral Access procedures than their peers and demonstrated expertise in this area. Dr. James is also involved in a research project with industry leader NuVasive on a special technique he used to revise a failed traditional spine fusion with an XLIF (eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion). Continue reading below to understand how Lateral Access Surgery is superior to other forms of Minimally Invasive Surgery.

What is Traditional Spine Surgery?

The older way of doing spine surgery involved separating the back muscles off the bones of the spine to gain access to a herniated disc or the nerves. These muscles are cut away from the bone and stretched out of place for hours so the surgeon can place screws, add bone graft, and “un-pinch” nerves. After this kind of surgery the back muscles are never the same. The blood supply to these muscles is compromised by the stretching process and when they are cut away from the bone. The muscles are forever weakened by this kind of surgery. Due to current limitations of minimally invasive surgery, traditional spine surgery is still performed routinely and is still accepted as a useful alternative when MIS cannot be performed. It offers very good results, but newer methods can improve on this further.

What is Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery?

The goal of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery is to maintain the health and viability of your back muscles during the procedure. The biggest misconception of MIS surgery is the belief that a smaller incision equals less muscle destruction. In fact, with some procedures, trying to do the same work on the spine through a smaller incision often causes muscle destruction. Also, certain MIS techniques prevent the surgeon from fully accessing key areas of the spine. Achieving a good result with MIS surgery requires an experienced surgeon who knows how to properly select patients for the newer small incision procedures. The best minimally invasive procedures must accomplish two things:

• It must allow the surgeon to do the same quality of work as the more traditional method.
• It must protect the health and viability of the posterior back muscles.

The Lateral Access Difference

Lateral access surgery is the preferred method for lumbar fusion because it allows access to key areas of the spine while preserving the health of important back muscles. Best results are achieved from fusion surgery when the disc material between the bones is completely removed and bone grafted. The lateral approach to the spine provides superior access to the disc space between the bones, while completely preserving the posterior back muscles. Supplemental hardware can be placed through the back muscles without the same destruction as other techniques. This lends to a more active lifestyle after the lateral access fusion due to superior back muscle strength and endurance. See our video testimonial for more information.