Foraminotomy

The goal of this minimally invasive surgery is to remove pressure on the nerves in the spine by enlarging the area around the foramen, where the nerve exits the spine.

Your surgeon will make a small incision just beside your spine at the level of the affected vertebrae. Using a specially-designed microscope and x-ray guidance, your surgeon will then push away the back muscles to expose the blocked intervertebral foramen. To relieve the nerve pressure, the surgeon creates more space for the nerve root to pass through by opening the nerve canal. Any blockage, which could include a herniated disc, bone spurs, or scar tissue in the spinal nerve canal is then removed and any degenerative disc is treated with a laser, which deadens pain nerves inside the disc and hardens the disc to prevent leakage to surrounding structures.  

Neural pressure can be a result of disc herniation, scar tissue, bone spurs, or degenerative conditions, and a foraminotomy can be an option for patients with the condition who haven’t found relief from conservative treatments.