Spine

Neurosurgeons at Greenwich Hospital perform minimally invasive spinal fusion through two or three small one-inch incisions using a tiny scope to guide the surgery. Miniaturized instruments and innovative techniques help protect surrounding tissue. This causes less trauma to the body and offers significant advantages to patients including:

• Quicker recovery
• Less blood loss
• Less scarring
• Less pain
• Faster return to normal activity

Depending on a patient’s spine condition, varied symptoms such as pain, weakness, and numbness may be successfully alleviated with nonsurgical treatments, including rest, activity modifications, anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy and home-based exercise.

Nonsurgical therapeutic injections to treat inflammatory conditions in the spine include:

• Cortisone (steroid) injections to relieve inflammation.
• Interventional physiatry to treat pain using anti-inflammatory injections into the spine, guided by X-ray for precise placement.
• Platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatment to promote healing of injured tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints. The patient’s blood is drawn, platelets separated from other blood cells, and then injected back into the patient.

Advanced imaging technology incorporated within our spine services includes:

• Globus ExcelsiusGPS® robotic navigation system – This system’s robotic guidance and real-time visualization enable extremely precise placement of screws or implants during spinal surgery.
• StealthStation™ neuro-navigation system – Allows our neurosurgeons to operate more precisely and with smaller incisions by mapping a patient’s anatomy. It may be used for spinal fusion, lumbar fusion and corrective surgeries for conditions including scoliosis and herniated disc; as well as during brain surgery. With fewer and smaller incisions, healthy tissue is preserved and complications are reduced, thereby promoting quicker patient recovery than more invasive methods.
• O-arm™ imaging – An advanced imaging system enables neurosurgeons performing spine surgery to view real-time 3-D images to support precise navigation around the spinal anatomy.