Lumbar Spinal Disc Herniation — Discotomy With Intervertebral Disc Replacement Prosthesis: treatment in the Best Hospitals of Germany
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Department of Spinal Surgery
The Department of Spinal Surgery annually treats more than 920 patients with lumbar herniated discs. The specialists remove the affected disc with endoscopic equipment and replace it with prosthesis. The surgery involves the use of a three-dimensional O-Arm x-ray system, which completely protects the spinal cord. The department is headed by Dr. med. A Bitter, who specializes in microsurgical spinal interventions.
Department of Spinal Surgery
The Department of Spinal Surgery at the Vivantes Auguste-Victoria Hospital all diseases of the spine - both conservatively and operatively. Patients with herniated intervertebral discs, displacement of vertebrae, stenosis of the spinal canal or back pain are treated here. In addition, specialists of the department have a unique experience in the field of complex reconstructive and revision surgeries, which are conducted to continue or correct the previous surgical treatment.
Department of Spinal Surgery
The Department of Spinal Surgery offers the full range of effective treatment methods in the area of its specialization. A highly qualified team of doctors is at the service of the department's patients, who have in their arsenal advanced conservative and surgical treatment methods for pathological changes in the spine. Spinal surgical procedures are performed in modern operating rooms, the technical equipment of which allows spinal surgeons to perfectly perform both major open surgery and sparing interventions: minimally invasive, endoscopic, and microsurgical. Surgical treatment is complemented by a carefully planned course of physiotherapy. This includes procedures such as therapeutic exercises, manual therapy, massage, osteopathic treatment, etc. The department's team of doctors consists of 10 highly qualified specialists who, together with experienced nursing staff, admit more than 1,300 inpatients annually. The medical facility is certified by the German Society for Spine Surgery (DWG) as a level II specialized center. The department's medical team makes every effort to provide each patient with optimal treatment in a pleasant and friendly atmosphere.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery offers the full range of accurate diagnostics and surgical treatment of diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. The department's surgeons annually perform over 5,000 surgical interventions, which indicates their high professionalism and tremendous experience. The key attention is paid to the treatment of cerebrovascular diseases, diseases of the spine and spinal cord, brain and skull base tumors, peripheral nerve lesions, cerebrospinal fluid circulation disorders, as well as pain therapy (functional neurosurgery). The treatment of neurosurgical diseases in children and adolescents is carried out by a specially trained team of experts.
Department of Neurosurgery and Spinal Surgery
The Department of Neurosurgery and Spinal Surgery offers the full range of modern surgical procedures for patients with diseases of the brain, spinal cord, spine, and peripheral nervous system. The department has state-of-the-art equipment, including navigation systems, monitoring devices, surgical microscopes, intraoperative X-ray diagnostic systems, angiography systems, and laser equipment. In addition, a system for minimally invasive stereotactic interventions has been installed in the department's operating room. The department's neurosurgeons use the latest microsurgical and endoscopic techniques in their work. The medical facility is one of only three in Europe to successfully use the VISUALASE™ device for MRI-guided laser ablation to treat epilepsy. This minimally invasive procedure is highly effective and represents a real breakthrough in epilepsy surgery. The department's neurosurgeons always strive to provide the patient with optimal medical care. They talk in detail about each stage of treatment and are happy to answer the patient's questions. Neurologists and specialists in the field of neuroradiology are often involved in the therapeutic process, which guarantees a comprehensive approach to treatment.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery offers the full range of surgical treatment of diseases of the brain, spine, spinal cord and nerves in adults and children. The department keeps pace with new trends in medicine, as well as contributes significantly to their development. Therefore, the most modern diagnostic and therapeutic methods are available here. An individual approach to each clinical case is crucial to ensure optimal treatment results with the preservation of all neurological functions.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery
According to the Focus magazine, the Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery ranks among the top German medical facilities specializing in the surgical treatment of brain tumors! The department offers the full range of diagnostics and surgical treatment of diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. A specially trained team of pediatric neurosurgeons provides treatment for various neurosurgical pathologies in children. During the treatment, the doctors use state-of-the-art equipment, in particular, imaging-guided neuronavigation, functional imaging (fMRI), intraoperative mapping, intraoperative videoangiography, etc.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Spinal Surgery
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Spinal Surgery offers modern diagnostics and effective treatment of the full range of diseases, injuries, inflammatory processes, tumors and malformations of the brain, spinal cord and their meninges, as well as spinal diseases. Spinal surgery is performed in collaboration with doctors from the Department of Adult and Pediatric Traumatology, Orthopedic Surgery. The department admits adults and children with malformations of the nervous system, brain and spinal cord tumors, drug-resistant epilepsy and other diseases. As one of the largest medical facilities of this kind in Germany, the department's doctors annually perform more than 2,500 surgical interventions on the brain and spinal cord, peripheral nerve endings. The department's specialists also perform over 400 spinal surgical procedures annually. To achieve high success rates of the surgical treatment, doctors use the very latest equipment, including neuronavigation systems. Thanks to this, surgeons not only successfully eliminate the pathology, but also guarantee the patient maximum safety. The department has 78 beds, including 14 beds in the Intensive Care Unit. The priority goal of the department's medical team is to provide high-quality treatment focused on the patient's needs.
Department of Neurosurgery and Spinal Surgery
The Department of Neurosurgery and Spinal Surgery provides top-class medical care for patients with diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems. The medical facility performs surgery of any complexity on the brain, spinal cord, spine, and peripheral nerves. The department is the largest healthcare facility of this kind in Germany and has a team of highly professional neurosurgeons with long clinical experience. The department's specialists focus on patients with brain tumors (gliomas, meningiomas, and brain metastases), neurovascular diseases (aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, and dural arteriovenous fistulas), and traumatic brain injuries. Spinal surgeons operate on patients with herniated discs, spinal canal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, spondylodiscitis, spinal fractures, and spinal tumors. The department extensively uses minimally invasive surgical techniques that allow for good therapeutic results with high safety in surgical manipulations. The medical facility has two hybrid operating rooms with state-of-the-art equipment, including the Zeego® intraoperative robotic angiography system and the intraoperative Brainsuite® MRI.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Orthopedics
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Orthopedics is the center of maximum orthopedic care and offers the diagnostics and treatment of all diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal system. Along with the full range of modern operative and conservative orthopedics, the department specializes in hip and knee replacement surgery using the minimally invasive methods, replacement/revision of prostheses, orthopaedic oncology, foot surgery and patella problems in the patella.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Orthopedics, Trauma Surgery, Foot Surgery
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Orthopedics, Trauma Surgery, Foot Surgery offers the full range of diagnostics, conservative and surgical treatment of musculoskeletal diseases and injuries. The department is a certified Endoprosthetics Center – more than 1,000 primary joint replacement surgeries are performed here annually. The surgeons of the Endoprosthetics Center also specialize in particularly complex clinical cases and revision procedures for the replacement of previously implanted artificial joints. In addition, the department has the status of the interregional Trauma Center certified in accordance with the standards of the German Trauma Society. The department has also been awarded a Certificate of Excellence from the German Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (DAF) in the field of foot surgery. A separate area of clinical activity is the treatment of diseases, injuries and congenital malformations of the musculoskeletal system in children. Depending on the severity of the clinical case, both conservative and surgical techniques are used in the treatment of orthopedic pathologies in children. The department's medical team prefers sparing low-traumatic surgery, while open operations are performed only if other therapeutic options are ineffective.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Spinal Surgery
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Spinal Surgery provides a full range of services in its areas of expertise. The department's doctors operate on patients with brain and spinal cord tumors, central nervous system malformations, epilepsy, traumatic brain injuries, degenerative disc diseases, spinal stenosis, spinal cord injuries, and peripheral nervous system pathologies. Neurosurgeons specialize in treating patients of all ages, including children and adolescents. Pediatricians, pediatric oncologists, radiologists, and neuroradiologists are involved in the treatment of young patients. Surgical procedures to treat pathologies of the nervous system are performed by highly qualified surgeons with extensive clinical experience. The physicians use state-of-the-art equipment in their work: intraoperative imaging systems, neuronavigation devices, and fluorescence imaging. Advanced technologies are key to effective and safe treatment, as damage to vital anatomical structures of the brain or spinal cord may cause severe neurological deficits. More than 2,000 operations are performed annually in the department's state-of-the-art operating rooms, the majority of which are for brain tumors. The department treats more than 11,000 patients each year. For many years, it has been one of the leading neurosurgical centers in Germany that treats patients from many European countries.
Department of General Orthopedics and Orthopedic Oncology
The Department of General Orthopedics and Orthopedic Oncology offers the full range of conservative and surgical treatment of all musculoskeletal diseases. The department ranks among the largest medical facilities of this kind in Germany, as well as among the specialized authoritative departments for the treatment of bone and soft tissue tumors in the European medical arena. The treatment is carried out both on an outpatient and inpatient basis, including the outpatient operations. In addition to its successful clinical activities, the department is proud of its productive research work, which has given birth to many innovations in orthopedics, for example, the department's specialists have patented the very latest prosthetic systems, particularly in the field of orthopedic oncology.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery offers the full range of modern services in this medical field. The high level of technical equipment in the department allows for the performance of all highly specialized surgical interventions to treat pathologies of the central and peripheral nervous system. The clinical practice mainly focuses on the diagnostics and surgical treatment of diseases, injuries of the brain, spine, spinal cord, intervertebral discs, nerve plexuses, functional neurosurgery and the treatment of neurosurgical pathologies in children.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery offers all modern surgical interventions for the treatment of pathologies of the nervous system. The clinical focuses include the treatment of oncological diseases of the nervous system (neuro-oncology), skull base surgery, vascular neurosurgery, spinal surgery and functional neurosurgery, including the surgical treatment of epilepsy. As a state-of-the-art medical facility, the department has the advanced systems for deep brain stimulation, multimodal neuronavigation devices, intraoperative neuronavigation using CT, ultrasound systems, fluorescence imaging devices and endoscopy equipment. Thus, the department has all the possibilities to ensure effective treatment according to the international standards.
Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Spinal Surgery
The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Spinal Surgery offers the full range of services in these fields and specializes in the surgical treatment of diseases of the brain and spinal cord, peripheral nervous system and spine. The important areas of the department's clinical activity also include neuro-oncology, vascular neurosurgery and pediatric neurosurgery. The treatment is provided in four state-of-the-art operating rooms equipped with all the necessary facilities. The department admits about 2,700 inpatients and 4,100 outpatients annually. The team of the department's neurosurgeons is distinguished by high professionalism, and performs many operations using sparing minimally invasive surgical techniques. Navigation systems, intraoperative monitoring devices, 5-ALA fluorescence are successfully used during the surgical treatment. Each operation is carefully planned using advanced navigation devices (under the guidance of CT and MRI scanning). In general, the department's surgeons annually perform more than 4,000 neurosurgical interventions, and therefore they are justifiably proud of their unique clinical experience and treatment results.
The intervertebral discs provide mobility for the spine. They are located between the vertebrae. The disk consists of a fibrous membrane and a nucleus pulposus enclosed within it. If the nucleus protrudes through the wall of the fibrous membrane, it may compress adjacent spinal nerve roots, causing pain and neurological symptoms (impaired mobility and sensitivity). This forms a hernia, which reduces the quality of life and may lead to disability. A hernia can, however, be successfully treated. One of the treatment methods is disk removal and its replacement with an endoprosthesis. Doctors in Germany perform hundreds of such surgical procedures every year, including on foreign patients. If you have been diagnosed with a herniated disc, it is best for you to seek medical attention at one of the German hospitals. With the Booking Health service, you can find out the cost of treatment in Germany and choose a medical care program at a favorable price.
Content
- Indications and contraindications for intervertebral disc replacement in the case of lumbar disc herniation
- How is surgery for a lumbar disk herniation performed in Germany?
- Why to undergo your lumbar disk herniation treatment in Germany?
Indications and contraindications for intervertebral disc replacement in the case of lumbar disc herniation
A lumbar herniated disc can be treated with conservative or surgical methods. Most patients receive conservative treatment. This type of treatment controls pain but does not cure a herniated disc, and it can grow in size.
Surgical treatment may be required if the pain cannot be resolved within 3-4 weeks of conservative treatment or if neurological symptoms occur (weakness in the legs, sensory disturbances, or pelvic floor dysfunction).
Surgical treatment options vary, and a discectomy with subsequent disk replacement surgery is not considered the main treatment for hernias in Germany because other operations are used more frequently. A discectomy with prosthetics may be required in the following cases:
- a damaged disk at the same level, even if it is affected by multiple and large hernias;
- the possibility of disk replacement surgery at two levels can be considered, but in this case, there is a higher risk of needing a revision operation in the future;
- revision hernia surgery if the previous surgical treatment has failed or the results have worsened over time.
Severe vertebral displacement, vertebral fractures, osteoporosis, facet syndrome, spinal canal stenosis, and low mobility in the operated spinal segment are considered contraindications for hernia treatment using a discectomy with endoprosthetics in Germany.
Doctors typically attempt disk replacement operations on young patients under the age of 40. Recent studies show that age does not significantly affect the effectiveness of the surgical intervention, so the treatment method has begun to be widely used in Germany even in the age category over 60 years.
How is surgery for a lumbar disk herniation performed in Germany?
The operation is performed using an open approach. Doctors remove the intervertebral disc of the lumbar spine along with all hernias, after which an artificial endoprosthesis is implanted in its place.
This is a reliable operation that provides good long-term results. A patient no longer has their own intervertebral disc after the operation, so the herniation will not repeatedly develop at this level. After a discectomy, treatment of pain with conservative methods is not required, and most neurological symptoms regress.
Unlike spinal fusion (firm fixation of two vertebrae), the implantation of an endoprosthesis preserves the physiological mobility of the spine. Therefore, adjacent spinal disks are not overloaded, degenerative processes do not develop in them, and patients do not suffer from any diseases of the adjacent spinal segments. The spine remains stable. A good functional result can be achieved in a short time after spinal disk replacement surgery.
The vast majority of patients benefit from discectomy treatment of pain. The neurological symptoms completely disappear if they have not been present for a long time. With delayed treatment, slight neurological deficits may persist, but they will be milder than before surgery. Full rehabilitation after the surgical intervention will help to restore the maximum mobility and sensitivity of the lower extremities, as well as pelvic organ functions.
Why to undergo your lumbar disk herniation treatment in Germany?
Germany has the largest experience in intervertebral disc replacement in the world. The Charite University Hospital Berlin was the first medical facility in the world to implant a prosthesis in the lumbar spine. Disk endoprostheses began to be produced in Germany in the 1980s of the twentieth century.
Today, doctors at German Spine Surgery Centers implant state-of-the-art artificial intervertebral discs, which are reliable, maintain mobility of the spine, and provide freedom from revision surgical procedures. You are welcome to use the Booking Health service to undergo your treatment at one of the German hospitals. On our website, you can find out the cost of treatment in Germany and compare prices at different Spine Surgery Centers.
Spinal disc prosthesis placement for hernias in Germany has the following benefits:
- new modifications of operations;
- high-quality equipment at German Spine Surgery Centers;
- the use of intraoperative diagnostics to reduce the risk of complications;
- the largest experience in disc prosthetics among all countries in the world;
- Germany uses the most advanced endoprostheses that will serve for decades;
- full rehabilitation after surgery, allowing patients to return to their usual lives in a short time without any back pain and physical restrictions.
You are welcome to choose a medical care program through the Booking Health service to undergo your spine surgery in Germany. The cost of treatment in Germany will be lower for you than if you contact the hospital directly. The price will be reduced due to the absence of taxes for foreign patients. Our company's employees will take care of all the arrangements for your trip. We will help you select a hospital in Germany, book a hotel and airline tickets for you, and provide you with interpreting services. We will also organize your transfer from the airport to the hospital and back.
Authors:
The article was edited by medical experts, board-certified doctors Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova and Dr. Vadim Zhiliuk. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!
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