Spine Surgery
There is no medical department that is developing as fast as spine surgery. Perhaps this is because spine surgery is not a separate specialty at all, but is practiced by different specialties (orthopedics, neurosurgery, traumatology, pain management) that complement each other.
Modern implants for your long-term mobility – spine surgery
New implants and procedures are constantly being developed. Clinic Bel Etage is at the forefront of this development. We employ the specialists who helped develop or improve the procedures. Due to their expertise in innovative procedures, they are in demand internationally as trainers. We use only high quality implants. Clinic Bel Etage is one of the leading international centers for motion preserving spine surgery. Not only patients but also medical colleagues from all over the world appreciate our decades of experience in the field of disc prosthetics. The implantation of intervertebral disc prostheses is routine at Clinic Bel Etage and no exception.
Individual solutions for your needs
Intervertebral disc prostheses allow not only the restoration of stability, but also the mobility of the spine. In some cases this is not possible. Particularly in the case of a long spinal curvature (scoliosis), mobility must be foregone. This is very stressful, especially for children, because the stabilization has to grow with them. In order to spare the children constant new surgeries, we use in the Clinic Bel Etage systems that grow with them, in which the rods can be extended from the outside by means of magnets. In the case of slipped vertebrae (spondylolisthesis), stiffening is also necessary, because this is a macroinstability. The displacement of the vertebral bodies in relation to each other can cause damage to the nerve root. However, patients usually cannot stand the pain before this happens, so a fusion must be performed. If instability is detected in time, however, dynamic systems can be used in which residual mobility of the spine is preserved. This means that the neighboring intervertebral discs are not overloaded and the spread of damage can be minimized.
Great effect through gentle solutions
Often, however, patients wait until old age. Since older patients should be spared major surgery, minimally invasive procedures (percutaneous stabilization) are used at Clinic Bel Etage, which do not require the muscles to be severed. Especially in the elderly, it is important to keep blood loss and the risk of infection as low as possible. Postoperative pain is also less and patients can be mobilized more quickly. If spinal instability is not treated in time, spinal canal narrowing (stenosis) occurs over the years. This narrows the spinal canal in such a way that the nerve tracts are compressed. The patient’s walking distance decreases continuously until they can no longer walk at all. If spinal canal stenosis is already advanced and associated with severe pain, surgery is advisable. With the help of the BoneScalpel, we are able to remove bone even in extremely narrow spaces without damaging the important nerve structures.
Forward planning thanks to state-of-the-art technology
While in neurosurgical clinics often only pressure is removed by means of decompression, in an orthopedic clinic spinal fusion (spondylodesis) is often also performed with screws and rods. At Clinic Bel Etage, orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons work together. We develop an individual strategy for each patient. With the help of 3D planning software, we can decide in advance whether stabilization is necessary and, if it is, how best to place the screws.
Future-oriented treatment
But even with a simple herniated disc, it is important not only to remove the herniated disc, but also to think about the patient’s future. The damaged disc may eventually need to be replaced with a disc prosthesis. The prerequisite for this is that the small vertebral joints are not injured during the removal of the herniated disc. Also, the scar tissue must not grow onto the nerve tissue. Therefore, we offer patients an anti-adhesion gel that prevents the growth.
