New treatment method in spinal canal stenosis

Assoc. Dr. In his statement to the AA correspondent, Erdem said that the disease, which is called "Spinal Stenosis" in the medical literature and known as spinal canal stenosis among the people, is a very common health problem that seriously threatens the quality of life, and that it usually occurs due to old age.

Stating that in spinal canal stenosis, the ligaments connecting the bones in the spine become thicker and enlargement and volume increases occur in the posterior facet joints due to calcification, Erdem also said that the disc joints are also worn out and as a result, the disc space is narrowed, bony growths occur on the edge of the disc, and the canal is located anteriorly. He also explained that it causes pressure on the nerves by narrowing it.

Pointing out that the narrowing in the spinal canal makes it difficult for the nerves passing through the spinal cord to transmit messages from the brain to the legs, leading to numbness and loss of strength, Eren Erdem said:

"Delayed detection reduces the success of the treatment. Like every disease, early diagnosis of spinal canal narrowing is of great importance in treating it without bad consequences such as temporary and permanent paralysis. The most obvious symptom in spinal canal stenosis is pain. Apart from leg pain, it also causes persistent back and neck pain.In addition to this, numbness in the legs, pain that occurs when walking, cramps and the desire to rest, typically leaning forward, shortening of walking distance and urinary incontinence are among the symptoms encountered. They can reduce pain by leaning forward."

"Spinal canal narrowing is confused with lumbar hernia symptoms"

Interventional Neuroradiology Specialist Assoc. Dr. Eren Erdem stated that spinal canal narrowing is generally seen after the age of 50, and that the disease is more common in men than in women and that the quality of life decreases as the problem progresses.

Pointing out that the problem is confused with lumbar or neck hernia due to symptoms such as arm and low back pain, Erdem gave the following information:

"Luminal hernia is the compression of the nerves by damage to the discs in the lumbar spine. It is a pain that starts suddenly and is unrelated to walking or sitting. It occurs with the pressure of the hernia on one or more nerves. Spinal canal stenosis is the compression of all nerves. Symptoms in spinal canal stenosis, usually lumbar hernia It is necessary to take a good anamnesis and examination in order to make the correct diagnosis, because it is similar to the diagnosis. It is necessary to listen to the patient well and make the diagnosis correctly. MR and computed tomography examinations are used to help the diagnosis. Otherwise, the treatment process may result in a wrong way. Therefore, the vertebral column It is necessary to see a doctor who is an expert in the field for the diagnosis of canal stenosis.

"Treatment is possible without open surgery"

Assoc. Dr. Erdem said that if the spinal canal stenosis is not severe, it is tried to get results with medication and physical therapy, but the surgical method is preferred in patients who have difficulty in walking and who have too much pain due to the pressure applied to the nerves.

Stating that in the classical surgical method, the bones and tissues behind the canal are removed by entering from the back of the spine, and then the spine is fixed with screws and platinum, Erdem said:

"However, in spinal canal stenosis, open surgery is a laborious operation for patients due to reasons such as the procedure, the length of recovery time, and metal implants placed in the body. The 'Minimal Invasive Lumbar Decompression' (MILD) method, which was recently developed in the USA as an approach to interventional neuroradiology. , is a reliable and new treatment method for removing stenosis in the spinal canal without the need for open surgery. With this method, it has become possible to treat this disease by removing only the enlarged and thickened tissues without disturbing the structure of the spine. In the MILD method, a hole the size of a hazelnut is opened and the canal is accessed from here "The tissues that cause the narrowing are removed under imaging (fluoroscopy) with special instruments. The patient walks out 2 hours after the procedure and returns home. In this method, the patient does not need to be put to sleep."

Emphasizing that the patient is not sutured during the procedure and that the patient is discharged with a band-aid applied on the incision, Erdem said, "No implant is placed in the spine in the MILD procedure. The patient's comfort is ensured by intravenous pain relievers. The patient returns to their normal life within 2-3 days. The patients follow the procedure. It should be careful not to carry weight for 2 weeks and should avoid sudden movements. he said.