Treatment and Surgery options for Spinal Cord Injury : Best Spine Hospitals in India

There are a variety of treatment and surgery options for Spinal Cord Injury depending on the affected area of the spine.

Spinal cord injury

Is the result of a traumatic injury such as a bruise or contusion, a partial tear or a complete tear in the spinal cord. It can also result indirectly from damage to surrounding bones, tissues or blood vessels. 

Spinal Cord Injury Diagnosis

Spinal cord injuries are very serious. If you are suffering from any symptoms of spinal cord injury, it is very important to seek immediate medical attention. In order to diagnose your condition, your doctor will perform both a physical and neurological exam. If the location of the injury is not known, one of more of these tests will help locate the exact point of injury:

·         CT scan or MRI – shows the location and extent of the damage. These scans can also reveal internal problems such as hematomas or blood clots.

·         Spine X-rays – show damage or fractures to the bones in the spine

·         Myelogram – Dye is injected into the fluid-filled space between the bones in your spine. The dye is able to move through the space in order to allow the spinal cord and nerve roots to be seen more clearly. This is used in rare cases to find the source of a problem that was not detected by other tests.

·         Somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) – Test which evokes response from the nervous system through magnetic stimulation. It can show if nerve signals are able to pass through the spinal cord, or if an injury is blocking the transmission.

Nonsurgical Treatment for Spinal Cord Injury
Since spinal cord injury is such a serious and time-sensitive condition, it is critical to seek treatment as soon as possible. Time between injury and treatment will have a huge impact on the outcome. Some nonsurgical treatment options for spinal cord injury include:

·         Methylprednisolone – Steroid medication used to decrease inflammation at the site of the injury as well as reduce damage to nerve cells. If given within eight hours of injury, you will experience mild improvement.

·         Immobilization – This is done to stabilize and/or realign your spine after injury. Immobilization can be accomplished by using metal braces and a body harness to keep your head from moving. A special bed or neck brace can also be used to secure your head and prevent movement of the spine.

·         Experimental treatments – Scientists are working on methods to prevent cell death, promote nerve regeneration and control inflammation.

Surgery for Spinal Cord Injury 
In many cases, spinal cord surgery is necessary to remove bone fragments, herniated discs, foreign objects, fractured vertebrae and anything that may be compressing your spine. Because there are different types of injuries and different sections of the spine that can be injured, there are many different types of surgery for spinal cord injury:

·         Lumbar discectomy – surgical procedure used to remove all or part of a herniated or ruptured disc in the lower part of the spine

·         Cervical discectomy – surgery used to remove one or more discs from the neck

·         Microdiscectomy – Minimally invasive surgery on a ruptured disc in the neck or back. This procedure aims at removing a small part of the ruptured disc in order to alleviate pain while avoiding any possible instability in the spine.

·         Spinal fusion – Surgical procedure for fusing or joining two or more vertebrae. There are different types of this surgery for different areas of the spine:

•Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion – In this procedure, the spine is operated on from the front. The surgeon removes a disc from the lower part of the spine and replaces it with bone graft. The desired result is for the two surrounding vertebrae to grow or fuse together into one solid bone.

•Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion – This procedure is virtually the same as the anterior fusion except that the surgeon approaches the spine from the back.

•Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion – In this procedure, the spine is approached from the side.

·         Laparoscopic Fusion – A minimally invasive surgical alternative to open surgery that requires a much smaller incision in the back to gain access to the spine. Recuperation time and pain levels are significantly reduced compared to other types of spinal fusion surgery.

·         Intradiscal Electrothermal Therapy – Minimally invasive treatment for lower back pain. This procedure utilizes fluoroscopic (x-ray) guidance and an electrothermal catheter to heat up the affected lumbar disc. The goal is to destroy pain receptors in the disc.

·         Surgical Decompression – A small portion of the bone over the nerve root is removed to allow more space for the nerve root while helping it to heal. There are different types of surgical decompression:

•Foraminotomy – The foramen, or opening where the nerve root comes out of the spinal column, is widened by shaving away a portion of the bone.

•Laminotomy – Partial removal of the lamina, or bony arches in the canal of the spine

•Laminectomy – Complete removal of the lamina, or bony arches in the canal of the spine

•Corpectomy – The entire degenerated vertebrae is removed and replaced by bone graft.

•Laminoplasty – The lamina, or bony arches in the spinal canal, is cut open on both sides to create an open flap to relieve pressure on the spinal cord. The bone flap is propped open with small wedges or pieces of bone.

·         Kyphoplasty/Vertebroplasty – Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty are both minimally invasive procedures that treat pain and other symptoms caused by a spine fracture resulting from osteoporosis. Each procedure can also restore vertebral body height lost due to a compression fracture.

·         Anterior Cervical Disectomy and Fusion – Surgical procedure used to treat neck problems resulting from fractures, herniated discs and spinal instability.

·         Spinal Cord Stimulation – This procedure uses an electrical current to treat chronic back pain by implanting a small pulse generator in the back. The pulse generator sends electrical pulses to the spine in order to block the nerve signals which make you feel pain.

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