April 2010/ Thanks to a surgical method that is unique worldwide, a herniated disc in the cervical spine can be repaired more gently and with less risk than ever before, says spine surgeon Dr. Michael Schubert, 45, from the Apex Spine Center in Munich. Instead of an open procedure with a five to eight centimeter long incision in the neck, a stab incision for a 2.5 millimeter thick working tube is sufficient with the new procedure. The part of the intervertebral disc that has slipped forward is removed with a variety of mini instruments. The anesthesia is as small as the operation. The mini-operation is carried out in a pleasant twilight sleep, without the usual general anesthetic with all its side effects and risks. The small surgical tools had to be provided by Dr. Schubert, are specially developed: mini cutters and pliers.

The cervical spine is considerably more delicate than, for example, the backbone in the lumbar region. The patient is usually free of symptoms immediately after the procedure. Compared to this new, gentle treatment, in which the natural stability and mobility of the corresponding movement segment is completely preserved, the widespread, classic method is a mammoth operation with considerable risks: because the intervertebral disc is completely removed and the space is filled with placeholders (such as bone material , titanium – carbon cages or an intervertebral disc prosthesis) is replaced, even well-known clinics report serious complications.

The most common risk that leads to a herniated disc in the cervical vertebrae is a circulatory disorder in the outer ring of the disc. Minor injuries or occupations that involve long periods of sitting increase the likelihood of an incident. Smokers who smoke more than ten cigarettes a day even accept a tenfold increase in their risk of experiencing problems in the cervical spine due to reduced blood flow in the small capillaries.

The revolutionary, minimally invasive therapy was developed by Dr. Schubert, of the Apex Spine Center, has already been successfully performed on more than 200 patients. Since complicated follow-up treatments, long hospital stays and long downtimes in professional life are eliminated, the costs of minimally invasive treatment are many times lower than with conventional open operations.