The older style of open-spine surgery for a relatively small disc problem used to require a 5-6 inch incision and a month in the hospital.
MISS techniques utilize more modern technology, advanced imaging techniques and special medical equipment to reduce tissue trauma, bleeding, radiation exposure, infection risk, and decreased hospital stays by minimizing the size of the incision.
[2][3] Some minimally invasive spine surgery may be performed by a spinal neurosurgeon or an orthopedic surgeon and a trained medical team.
[2][3] Next, the surgeon may begin taking continuous X-ray images in real time, a process called fluoroscopy, of the affected portion of the spine.
"[2][3][4] The surgeon makes the necessary repairs to the spine, extracting affected disc material out through the tubular retractor and inserting medical devices, such as intervertebral spacers, rods, pedicle screws, facet screws, nucleus replacement devices, and artificial discs, through the retractor.
[15] However, Hippocrates is often credited with being the father of spine surgery due to the extensive amount of writing and proposed treatments he produced on the topic.