Universitätsklinik
für Neurochirurgie Innsbruck

Complex Spine Surgery

Complex spine surgery describes surgical procedures that include the placement of implants into the spine to achieve fusion of two or more vertebrae. This includes surgery for spinal tumors, extensive fusions (“spondylodesis”) in degenerative or infectious conditions and corrective surgery in scoliosis. These kinds of operations are complex and lengthy and are associated with a higher blood loss than other procedures in spine surgery. This is why the decision for complex spine surgery should be well-thought.

Extensive fusion in the degenerative spine

Ageing processes lead to degenerative changes in the spine including its vertebra, joints, discs and ligaments. These changes give way to pathologies like herniated disc disease, spinal stenosis and instability, mainly causing back pain that might or might not be accompanied by leg pain.

The treatment of choice consists of a sufficient pain medication regimen combined with physical therapy. In most cases, these measures help to relief the symptoms. If the pain does not resolve with conservative management including cortisone injections, or if patients suffer from neurological deficits, surgery should be considered. Typically, degenerative changes are not limited to one segment of the spine but affect a longer section of the spine, making it necessary to extend the surgical procedure to segments adjacent to the index segment.

The surgical procedure consists of the removal of excessive bony and tissue material that cause nerval affection. Mostly, it is necessary to remove large amounts of bony material including hypertrophic joints, in order to achieve sufficient decompression and pain relief, which makes an additional instrumentation (=placing metal implants into your spine) necessary to ensure stability and facilitate fusion.

Depending on your individual pathology, we might choose to approach your spine from your back, through your belly or through your flank or a combination of these: ALIF, XLIF, TLIF, PLIF, OLIF.

Corrective surgery for scoliosis, hyperkyphosis and sagittal imbalance

In some cases, degenerative changes might advance to cause an exaggerated forward rounding of the back, a so-called hyperkyphosis, („hunchback”) or a sideways curvature of the spine, a so-called scoliosis. Patients with such conditions experience severe back pain and might not be able to stand and walk without assistance anymore.

After taking an X-Ray of the whole spine, we will undertake complex measurements and calculations to plan the corrective surgery to restore a physiological position of the spine.