Annuloplasty and Nucleoplasty
Annuloplasty and nucleoplasty are other potential treatment options for patients with a herniated or bulging disc. These procedures are usually reserved for patients who have not responded well to alternative herniated disc treatments. During the procedure, an orthopaedic specialist uses X-ray guidance to maneuver a specialized needle into the offending bulging disc. The specialized needle delivers a carefully controlled plasma field to remove a portion of the bulging disc.
Annuloplasty is targeted at the collagen fibers on the outer disc wall, while nucleoplasty is targeted at the interior of the herniated disc’s wall. The procedure should close the torn or damaged disc walls and reduce or eliminate the pain caused by the bulging disc.
The same plasma field is then used to cauterize the channel made by the annuloplasty/nucleoplasty needle.
Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF)
The TLIF procedure decompresses the spinal cord and its nerves while re-stabilizing the spine. The procedure helps prevent future movement and damage to the affected lumbar joints.
During this fusion surgery, your orthopaedic spine surgeon will fuse the targeted joints together using a bone graft, which is taken from donor tissue in a bone bank or transplanted from elsewhere in the patient’s own body.
The spine surgeons at Barbour Orthopaedics can perform a minimally invasive form of TLIF to reduce post-operative pain and healing time.