Laser Diskectomy eMedicine Procedures

Description: Chronic low back pain is one of the major chronic debilitating conditions involving tremendous loss of money, work, and quality time. Laser is used in different fields of medicine with unique advantages. In treatment of lumbar disc disease, it is useful and advantageous. Laser discectomy is an outpatient procedure with one-step insertion of a needle into the disc space. Disc material is not removed; instead, nucleus pulposus is burned by the laser. Laser discectomy is minimally invasive, cost-effective, free of postoperative pain syndromes, and is starting to be more used at various centers.
Jasvinder Chawla, MBBS, MD, MBA Updated: May 17, 2009