The Spine consists of Vertebrae, Discs and Nerves going from the brain to all parts of the body. The spinal column is supported by surrounding muscles called the Paraspinal muscles. When a person does not exercise these muscles they become weak and load comes on the spinal column. This may cause damage to any of the 3 components of the spine. If the spinal vertebrae becomes unstable then a surgery is done to stabalize the spine. There are two techniques to do this surgery – Fusion and Fixation. In Fusion Surgery two or more of the vertebrae are fused together which affects the range of motion of the spine. In Fixation Surgery two or more of the vertebrae are fixated by using a cage, rods and screws. This surgery also affects the range of motion of the spine but helps in pain management and prevents further damage to the spinal column.
The best diagnostic modality for any spinal condition is X-Ray, CT Scan and MRI. 3D CT Scan of the spine gives very good information about the bony structures and the soft tissue surrounding the spinal column. MRI gives far more information than any of the other diagnostic tools but is expensive. Once the correct diagnosis is made and our neurosurgeon opines that Fusion or Fixation or combination of both would be done then the patient has to get admitted to the hospital. The surgery is done under General Anaesthesia or Spinal Anaesthesia and the surgery could last for 7-8 hours depending upon the levels of spine which are being operated. The surgery can be done with posterior approach in case of Thoracic or Lumber Spine but is preferably done with anterior approach in case of Cervical Spine. Post surgery the patient is kept in the ICU for 24 hours before being shifted out to the ward or the room.
At Siddh Hospital all the spine surgeries are being done by our Neurosurgery team which is led by Dr SK Gupta who is one of the most renowned neurosurgeons in India. Dr Ali has been doing endoscopic spine surgeries and minimally invasive spine surgeries which means that a very small incision is given to perform the surgery. In such cases the recovery of the patient is much quicker and the cost is also less. Any spine surgery patient requires extensive rehabilitation after the surgery and our team of physiotherapists make sure that your recovery is as per the schedule. For this the rehab team takes charge of the patient within 24 hours of the surgery and exercises are started even on the patient bed. Within a couple of days the patient is put on feet and made to walk with the help of a walker. The intensity of exercises increase every day till the patient is able to walk and perform all routine functions without any assistance.
The cost of Spinal Instrumentation depends on the number of levels on which the surgery is performed. Typically it costs between Rs. 2.5 – 3.0 Lacs. The same surgery would cost close to 5 lacs in any of the good hospitals of the metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai.