Traditionally,<unk><unk>  has required surgeons to create a 5-6 inch incision down the affected portion of the<unk>  and to pull back the tissue and muscle using retractors in order to reveal the bone. The wound itself takes a long time to heal; the aim of<unk><unk><unk>  is reduce tissue trauma and the associated bleeding and risk of infection by minimizing the size of the incision. Some<unk>  may be performed by a<unk> l neurosurgeon or an orthopedic surgeon and a trained medical team. Typically, they will begin the operation by delivering a type of anesthesia that numbs a particular part of the body in conjunction with sedation or simply give a general anesthesia that prevents pain and allows the patient to sleep throughout the<unk> . Next, the surgeon may begin taking continuous X-ray images in real time, a process called fluoroscopy, of the affected portion of the<unk> . This allows them to see what they're operating on, in real-time, throughout the<unk>  without creating a large incision. At this point, the surgeon may begin performing the operation, by creating an incision in the skin above the affected portion of the<unk>  and then using a device called an obturator to push the underlying tissue apart; the obturator is inside a tube, which is left behind after the obturator is removed, leaving a channel down to the<unk> . Small operating tools as well as cameras and a light are used through this tube. In other<unk> es this is called a trocar; in<unk><unk>  it is called a "tubular retractor." The surgeon makes the necessary repairs to the<unk> , extracting affected disc material out through the tubular retractor and inserting medical devices, such as intervertebral spacers, rods, pedicle screws, facet screws, nucleus replacement devices, and artificial discs, through the retractor. Robot-assisted<unk>  is another technique that is used occasionally in<unk> . When the procedure is done the tube is removed, and the wound is stitched, stapled, or glued shut.
Minimally invasive spine surgery
Pressure immobilisation technique
Radiofrequency targeted vertebral augmentation
Microsurgical lumbar laminoplasty
Minimally-invasive thoracic spinal fusion
Interbody fusion cage
Intervertebral disc annuloplasty
Spinal manipulation