The Hindu Business Line : Wockhardt introduces new surgical procedure for slipped discs

BACKACHES are virtually becoming the norm, given the erratic lifestyles that people lead. But in what may bring relief to people suffering from the commonest cause of backache, "prolapsed intervertebral disc" (better known as the slipped disc) — Wockhardt Spine Centre has introduced a minimally invasive surgery.

Percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy or PELD is an awake state minimally invasive slipped disc surgery, done under local anesthesia. The patient gets discharged in 24 hours, according to a note on behalf of Wockhardt Spine Centre, Mumbai.

Backaches are a common ailment, affecting almost 60 per cent of people. And slipped disc is a painful condition requiring hospitalisation for about a week, besides loss of work and earning. As a result people avoid surgery and suffer the pain that sometimes leads to disability, the note said.

According to Dr Vikas Gupte, Spine Surgeon with the hospital, "It requires only a 6 mm incision and the surgery is done under local anesthesia. The patient is fully awake during the surgery. The wound is closed with one stitch. Patient gets immediate pain relief and may go home the next day and can resume work soon."

The surgery is different from standard disc surgery because there is no muscle dissection, bone removal, bone fusion, or incision, except for a puncture wound to accommodate the micro-instruments that are inserted into the problem disc, he said.

The minimally invasive procedure is priced at about Rs 40,000, while the older procedure is about Rs 55,000, a representative said on behalf of the hospital.

Most complications that occur with conventional surgery, therefore, are eliminated with this procedure. The procedure takes about 20 minutes, on an average, Dr Gupte observed. Wockhardt's hospital-chain has a presence in Bangalore, Nagpur, Kolkata and Hyderabad.