Connect
← Return to Chronic pain and spinal fusion
Discussion
Chronic pain and spinal fusion
Spine Health | Last Active: Apr 4, 2023 | Replies (173)Comment receiving replies
@suzfuse46 Thanks, Amanda for bringing me into this conversation. Sue, you have an extensive history of spine surgeries and with your neurosurgeon not acknowledging your condition, I think you are right in seeking another opinion. I did some searching of medical literature on Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) for spine surgery, and then in looking up the authors, I found medical centers that use this method for video assisted surgeries. I found a paper authored by Mayo surgeons for VATS scoliosis pediatric surgery and the Mayo website does indicate VATS can be done for spine surgeries. I found VATS spine literature authored by surgeons at UC Davis, and Cedars-Siani in California.
https://thejns.org/focus/view/journals/neurosurg-focus/36/3/article-pE8.xml
I had also responded to your personal message. I can inquire with the Mayo surgeon who did my cervical surgery to ask about surgeons there who might be using this VATS for adult thoracic spine surgeries.
You need a high level spine deformity expert who takes complex cases. I found a new video with a presentation by Dr. Patrick Johnson from Cedars- Siani in Los Angeles that discusses video assisted thoracic spine surgeries and it shows surgery photos and videos, so be prepared to see those if you watch this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z44zfcIp_xw
Replies to "@suzfuse46 Thanks, Amanda for bringing me into this conversation. Sue, you have an extensive history of..."
Connect
Thank you again!!! I have been trying to find information on the VATS procedure but the internet medical sites haven't been a good resource. My neighbor's son-in-law works for Medtronic as a tech who assists neurosurgeons locally using their spine devices but he hasn't been able to find doctors who do this specific surgery here in west Michigan. I will be thankful for any additional information you can send my way. My main concern is that on a recent MRI, it shows a "right central T10-T11 disc extrusion, migration compressing traversing right T11 nerve root lateral recess. Small left central T10-T11 disc extrusion. Mild to moderate T10-T11 central stenosis with subtotal CSF effacement, no cord deformity or signal abnormality. Moderate right foraminal stenosis." It would be very helpful to ask Dr. Fogelson about surgeons at Mayo doing surgery to access this type of herniation. (Your painting of him is so very well done!) Sue K.