Controversies in Spine Surgery: MIS versus OPEN

Alexander R. Vaccaro, MD, PhD, FACS, MBA, is Richard H. Rothman Professor and Chairman, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and Professor of Neurosurgery, Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals; and President, The Rothman Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Richard G. Fessler, MD, PhD, is Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Faheem A. Sandhu, MD, PhD, is Professor of Neurosurgery, Director of Spine Surgery, and Co-Director, Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, Department of Neurosurgery, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.

Jean-Marc Voyadzis, MD, is Co-Director, Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery and Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.

Jason C. Eck, DO, MS, is an Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon, Center for Sports Medicine and Orthopedics, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA.

Christopher K. Kepler, MD, MBA, is an Associate Professor and Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals, and The Rothman Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Part I: Degenerative

1 Lumbar Discectomy: Is Tubular or Endoscopic Discectomy Better Than Traditional Microdiscectomies?

2 Is Lumbar Stenosis Best Treated with an Open Laminectomy?

3 Facet Cysts: Is There an Advantage to Treating Synovial Cysts with Minimally Invasive Techniques?

4 Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion: Minimally Invasive versus Open

5 The Lateral Transpsoas Approach versus ALIF: Do the Risks of Lateral Interbody Fusion Outweigh the Benefits Compared to Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion?

6 Is AxiaLIF Comparable to Open Fusion with ALIF and Posterolateral 360 Degrees Fusion at L5aEURO"S1?

7 Multiple-Level Interbody Fusion: How Do Two-Level Fusion Techniques Compare between Open and Minimally Invasive Surgery?

8 Is Lumbar Adjacent Segment Degeneration Best Treated Using Minimally Invasive Surgery over Open Fusion Techniques?

9 Degenerative Scoliosis: Is There an Advantage to Using Minimally Invasive Techniques to Treat Degenerative Scoliosis?

10 Flatback Syndrome: Can Lumbar Flatback Syndrome Be Treated Adequately with Minimally Invasive Techniques?

11 Can Thoracic Disc Herniation Be Effectively Treated Using Minimally Invasive Techniques?

12 Posterior Cervical Foraminotomy

13 Complications of Instrumentation: Is There a Higher Complication Rate in Placing Instrumentation via a Minimally Invasive Technique Compared with an Open Technique?

14 Dural Tears: Should a Minimally Invasive Complication Such as a Dural Tear Routinely Be Opened for Adequate Repair or Are There Safe and Reliable Minimally Invasive Techniques for Dural Closure?

15 Do Minimally Invasive Techniques Broaden the Scope for Geriatric Spine Surgery?

Part II: Trauma

16 Thoracolumbar Burst Fractures: Can Thoracolumbar Burst Fractures Be Effectively Managed Using Minimally Invasive Surgery Techniques?

17 Open and Minimally Invasive Treatment of Cervical Spine Fractures

Part III: Tumor

18 Thoracolumbar Metastatic Tumors: Comparison of Minimally Invasive Surgery versus Open Techniques for Addressing Thoracolumbar Metastatic Tumor Resection and Stabilization

19 Intradural Spine Tumors: Is There an Advantage to Removing Intradural Spine Tumors Using an MIS Approach?

20 Quality of Life in Advanced Tumors: Can Minimally Invasive Surgery Techniques Improve the Quality of Life of Patients with Advanced Oncologic Disease to Allow for Decreased Pain or Should Traditional Techniques of Palliation Be Used?

Part IV: Other Issues

21 Radiation Exposure: How Does Radiation Exposure Differ between Open and Minimally Invasive Techniques?

22 Infection Rates: How Do Infection Rates Compare between MIS and Open Spine Techniques?

23 Cost: Which Costs More, Open or Minimally Invasive Surgery?

24 Success Rates and Time: Can Three-Dimensional Navigational Imaging Improve the Success and Time Required for Minimally Invasive Surgery and Minimize Radiation Exposure to Those in the OR Suite?