Spine Surgery
When we say spine surgery, it includes all spinal regions starting from the skull base-neck spine junction and extending to the sacrum bone and extending to the coccyx. Although many diseases of the spine are most common in the lumbar region, they can be seen in the neck spine, dorsal spine and sacrum. Diseases involving the spine may be congenital or may appear later on as we age. Congenital scoliosis, kyphosis, kypho-scoliosis, spina bifida, which can be seen due to developmental disorders of the spine, formation and segmentation anomalies of the spine are some of them. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, on the other hand, is frequently encountered at puberty in the developmental age, and some of them progress and require surgical treatment. As age progresses, the disc tissue between the vertebrae begins to age and the amount of fluid in it begins to decrease. With the degeneration of the disc tissue between the vertebrae, the degeneration (deterioration and aging) process in the spine begins. After the deterioration of the disc structure, degenerations in the joints between the vertebrae and loosening of the joint capsules occur. If this process progresses, we may encounter spinal cord narrowing (spinal stenosis), slippage of the vertebrae (spondylolisthesis) and degenerative scoliosis. The aforementioned degenerative diseases of the spine usually progress after middle age (after 50-55 years) and are a very painful process. Apart from these, fractures and slips of the spine after a fall or traffic accident, spinal tumors, inflammatory diseases of the spine (such as bacterial discitis and spine tuberculosis) and some problems after previous spine operations (flat back syndrome, pseudoarthrosis, adjacent segment disease, failed lumbar spine) syndrome). Methods used in spine surgery; microsurgery, endoscopic disc surgery, minimally invasive surgeries, non-fusion instrumentation techniques (dynamic stabilization), total disc prostheses and fusion instrumentation surgeries. These techniques applied in spine surgery may vary depending on the patient’s clinic and pathology, as well as the surgeon’s experience and preference.
Spinal Cord Surgery
The spinal cord or spinal cord starts from the neck region and extends to the coccyx. Symptoms of spinal cord diseases requiring surgery vary according to the spinal cord segment and location. For example, spinal cord involvement in the neck region causes weakness and numbness in the arms and legs, while spinal cord involvement in the back and lumbar region can cause weakness and numbness in the legs and does not affect the arms. The spinal cord usually terminates between the first lumbar vertebra and the second lumbar vertebra in adults. After this area, the spinal cord is called the cauda equina. Nerves that leave the spinal cord in the cauda equina run towards the legs and each terminate in separate muscle tissues. Spinal cord surgery in tumors, infections (abscesses), cysts (syringomyelia), vascular (vascular) anomalies (AVM, cavernoma, AV fistulas) and conditions causing tethered cord syndrome (split cord syndrome, thick filum terminale, intraspinal lipoma, AV sinus tract) ) is applied. Spinal cord surgery is routinely performed with the aid of an operating microscope and microsurgical techniques. Intraoperative neuromonitorization has been widely used in recent years in order not to damage normal tissues while performing spinal cord surgery.
