Cervical Procedure

North American Spine offers a minimally invasive procedure to treat problems in the cervical spine as well.  The procedure is different from the AccuraScope procedure, as the device does not reach past the lumbar section of the spine.  Click here to see a PDF version.

Who we treat:

Patients who experience neck pain with or without associated arm pain, weakness, numbness, and tingling may be helped by the cervical discectomy. Prior to this procedure, patients should have attempted more conservative therapies such as physical therapy, chiropractic care, pain medications, epidural steroid injection, etc.

What we do:

Cervical discectomy is performed using local and “twilight” sedation.  The patient lies on the table facing upward. A small, hollow needle is inserted anteriorly into the center of the disc under guided fluoroscopy. A small amount of dye is injected directly into the disc nucleus to test for increased neck/arm discomfort and/or leakage out of the disc. If “positive,” a laser is passed through the needle and fired from within the disc to shrink bulging disc tissue and to seal a herniation. Multiple levels can be treated during the same procedure. Puncture site is covered by a Band-Aid. Procedure takes less than 30 minutes.

Patients do not require use of a collar post-operatively, and can perform most normal activities immediately following the procedure. We recommend a course of physical therapy beginning 1-2 weeks post-op.

Advantages of NAS Cervical Procedure:

No incision, no stitches, decreased risk of infection

Other techniques require multiple procedures, charged individually

Greater accuracy than using an MRI alone. Ensures that the disc level(s) we are treating are the ones actually responsible for the pain!

No need for collar, patients can start PT more quickly, faster recovery with normal use of neck and arms.