The cost of spinal hernia surgery

Many people who have been diagnosed with an intervertebral hernia are wondering how much it can cost to remove a hernia of the spine, and in what cases is it necessary? Today, doctors are trying to solve the problem with the help of conservative methods, but sometimes it is still not possible to do without the help of surgery. So what types of interventions exist, and how much should a patient expect?

When is surgery needed?

Since any invasive intervention in the human body entails certain risks, doctors recommend resorting to it only if absolutely necessary. There are two types of indications for spinal surgery – absolute and relative.

Absolute indications are those in which only a surgeon can help the patient, since other methods are ineffective.

These include:

the presence of a pronounced pain syndrome, which other methods used in therapy are not able to cope with;
the presence of strong changes in the pelvic organs, which leads to the inability to control the acts of urination and defecation.

Relative indications are those in which the patient can still live without surgery, without experiencing significant discomfort. In the presence of indications of this type, the intervention is carried out at the request of the patient.

Relative recommendations for surgery include:

severe pain in any vertebral region, which cannot be tolerated;
pathological activity disorders in the lower extremities, which are of a transient nature (foot paralysis);
weakness of the muscular system of the lower extremities, which leads to gradual atrophy with the loss of the ability to walk due to impaired innervation;
inefficiency of conservative methods within 3 months, the complete absence of positive dynamics.

Interventions

If a spinal hernia is found, how much the operation costs will depend on the stage of the disease and the preferred type of intervention. All manipulations for this disease can be conditionally divided into two large groups, one of which includes classical surgery, and the other microsurgery techniques.

The choice of the optimal tactics is best left to the surgeon, but the patient should still be aware of the ways in which he can be cured of the disease.

Open discectomy

Open discectomy is one of the oldest and well-established methods, but today it is completely outdated. The essence is very simple: during the intervention, the doctor completely or partially removes the disc damaged by the hernia, and fixes the adjacent vertebrae so that they become immobile.

In some cases, if possible, a process is installed instead of a disk. The operation is reliable, but far from the requirement of maintaining physiology, which is one of the main ones in surgery today.

Removing a vertebral hernia in this way can be quite cheap. In a number of clinics, the operation costs no more than 20 thousand rubles, but its price can reach up to 120 thousand. Open discectomy is used quite rarely, its main indication is traumatic injuries of the spinal column.

Laminectomy

Laminectomy is another rather old method that is still used by surgeons today. During the operation, that vertebral arch is removed, to which the hernial protrusion presses the damaged nerve, provoking the appearance of specific symptoms.

A significant advantage of this type of intervention is a quick recovery.

The patient is discharged from the hospital after three days. The main disadvantage is a high risk of spinal instability with recurrent pain. If stabilization is performed incorrectly, this can also adversely affect the patient's health.

Such an operation to remove a hernia of the spine will cost from 15 to 50 thousand rubles, depending on the chosen clinic. In some hospitals, the price tag can be much higher.

Microsurgery to help

Removal of an intervertebral hernia with the help of microsurgical manipulations has become increasingly popular in recent years. This is due to the fact that such manipulations are minimally invasive, the risk of complications associated with their implementation is much less when compared with the risks of traditional large-scale interventions. The incisions are mostly small, and damage to nearby tissues is minimal.

Percutaneous discectomy

Percutaneous discectomy is a technique that allows you to remove part of the damaged disc using only a small incision in the skin. Intervention is recommended for those patients who have a protrusion of a hernia in the area of the spinal canal. This type of manipulation is now practically not used by doctors in practice, as it is one of the most ineffective.

The main advantage of such a manipulation is that it is carried out not under general, but under local anesthesia, and the patient is quickly discharged home.

The cost of such an operative type of intervention, which in most cases is carried out under the control of an endoscope, starts from 130 thousand rubles in Moscow. In most cases, manipulation is not worth that kind of money due to the low final efficiency.

Microdiscectomy

Microdiscectomy is the modern "gold standard", which is followed by many surgeons, if it becomes necessary to remove a hernial protrusion from a patient with compression of the spinal cord and its roots. Thanks to the operation, it is possible to eliminate the compression of the roots of the spinal cord, as well as improve the processes of blood circulation in the spine. Removal is performed using a very small incision on the skin (it rarely exceeds 1.5-2 cm). During the manipulation, the surgeon can also partially remove the yellow ligament of the spine and the edges of the vertebral arches.

The benefits of microdiscectomy include:

short duration of intervention (no more than 30-40 minutes, rarely 1 hour);
the ability to abandon general anesthesia and use epidural instead;
small risk of complications;
the ability to remove several hernias at once with the help of one intervention;
quick recovery and minimum pain during the recovery process.

The price for removing a hernia of the spine in this way starts from 30 thousand rubles and reaches 90 thousand rubles, depending on the chosen hospital.

Endoscopic microdiscectomy

Endoscopic surgeries have become increasingly popular in recent years, and diseases of the musculoskeletal system have also not been left without this technique. Endoscopy attracts not only patients, but also doctors due to the fact that it allows for non-blind intervention, while making a minimal incision on the skin (rarely more than 5 cm).

The operation involves the mandatory use of an endoscope - a special device that allows the surgeon not only to carry out manipulations, but also to see what he is doing, and not rely on an ultrasound picture.

Despite the popularity of the technique, it has a number of drawbacks that must be taken into account.

These include:

the inability to use the endoscope in the treatment of all hernial protrusions, its selective use only at a certain position of the affected disc;
the use of spinal anesthesia, which requires careful preparation of the patient and is not absolutely safe in terms of complications;
the risk of recurrence of the disease, which is approximately 10%, remains, and the risk of developing complications in the form of an epidural syndrome is also high.

The price of an endoscopic type of operation can scare away many patients. It starts from 40 thousand rubles and only increases from clinic to clinic, sometimes reaching up to 100 thousand.

Microscopic Decompression

Microscopic spinal decompression is another intervention to free the spinal cord, which can often suffer from herniation. During decompression, doctors excise part of the overgrown tissues, which makes it possible to increase the lumen of the canal artificially.

Intervention allows you to eliminate compression in a short time. Along with this, the patient gets rid of pain, and in a successful case, the functions of the pinched nerve are fully restored after some time.

The advantage of microscopic decompression is the refusal to use general anesthesia. Normal general anesthesia will suffice. The operation is carried out under the control of the X-ray machine, which can be considered its disadvantage, since the doctor does not fully see his field of activity.

The price of decompression is quite high and starts from 100 thousand rubles, depending on the clinic.

Radiofrequency destruction of the facet nerves

Radiofrequency destruction of the facet nerves is an intervention that is recommended for patients complaining of facet syndrome. With this pathology, severe pain associated with arthrosis of the intervertebral joints appears.

During radiofrequency destruction, a special probe is used, which is brought to the painful area and emits special waves for 1.5-2 minutes. The action of the rays is such that there is an instantaneous drying of the affected tissues, followed by their coagulation. As a result, it is possible to achieve self-resorption of the hernia.

Radiofrequency destruction of the intervertebral disc does not protect against relapse by 100%, although it is considered effective. The price for this destructive operation starts from 20 thousand rubles in Moscow, but the cost can increase up to 120 thousand.

Cold plasma type nucleoplasty

Cold-plasma type nucleoplasty is the removal of affected structures using a special plasma jet.

The operation is simple:

A special hollow needle of sufficient diameter is brought to the affected area.
A small electrode is passed along the needle to the area of pathology.
Due to the plasma impact, it is possible to compact and subject to a significant restoration the destroyed part of the disk.

When exposed to plasma, it is possible to do without a burning effect, which is its fundamental difference from laser treatment. Nucleoplasty is a rather expensive operation. The price for it can range from 100 to 200 thousand rubles on average.

The benefits of such an impact include:

the rapid disappearance of the pain syndrome (usually this happens at the same moment);
short manipulation time, ranging from 15 to 30 minutes maximum;
no need for an operating room, since nucleoplasty can be performed in an outpatient setting;
there is no need for a rehabilitation period, the patient with a minimum number of restrictions almost immediately returns to a full life.

Hydroplastic

Hydroplasty is another method successfully used in the treatment of spinal hernia. During the manipulation, a special needle is injected into the affected area, through which a normal saline solution is supplied. With the help of liquid, it is possible to wash the destroyed disk core or the hernia itself, after which the liquid is sucked off using a special suction.

Such an operation has one serious limitation. It is not performed on patients whose age has already exceeded the mark of 50 years. This is due to the fact that hydroplasty is effective only until degenerative age-related changes begin in the spine.

Despite the age limit, hydroplastics are popular. This is explained by its low trauma. With the help of it, it is possible to prevent the development of necrotic changes in the intervertebral disc, to preserve, albeit not fully, its depreciation function.

One operation is needed to treat one vertebra affected by a hernia. Its cost starts from 20 thousand rubles, not counting related costs, such as a consultation with a neurologist and hospital stay.

Laser surgery

Laser surgery involves the use of special laser beams to completely destroy or reconstruct a herniated disc. This method is interesting because it can be used both separately and in combination with almost any other type of intervention on the spine. The effect is achieved due to the fact that the laser heats up the damaged structures and contributes to their restoration.

The price of laser surgery can vary greatly. If you plan to use this method as the only treatment, then the intervention will cost at least 30 thousand rubles. When combined, for example, with microdiscectomy, the price tag will increase to 70 thousand rubles, not counting the associated costs.

The method has the following advantages:

injuries during the operation are minimized;
it is possible to avoid changes in the structure of the vertebral disc;
the spine retains its full mobility;
it is not necessary to stay in the hospital for a long time (in most cases, the patient is discharged after 2 days if there are no complications);
there is an opportunity to quickly rehabilitate and fully return to normal life.

Blockade of intraosseous type

Blockade of the intraosseous type is an invasive intervention, but still not a complete operation. The fact is that during the treatment, a special solution is introduced to the patient through a special hollow needle, which provides analgesia. As a result, the pain goes away completely or is significantly weakened.

Intraosseous blockade is kept individually for each person. For some, treatment of this type will help to cope with the symptoms for five years, and for someone in a year and a half, a repeated administration of an analgesic substance will be required. It is impossible to predict the exact expiration date.

The cost of the blockade is about 20 thousand rubles per session.

Success conditions

To stand firmly on his feet after surgery for a herniated disc, the patient must fulfill a number of fairly simple conditions.

These include:

the need to pass all tests, undergo MRI and CT scans, as well as consult other doctors about concomitant diseases and possible complications;
it must be understood that the choice of the type of operation depends on the characteristics of the hernial protrusion;
you will have to drink a course of antibiotics, since any operation is associated with the risks of infection with pathogenic microorganisms, which are ways to derail all treatment;
the operation is not the final stage of treatment, since after it it is also necessary to competently undergo rehabilitation in order to consolidate the results obtained and prevent the recurrence of the pathology.

Any patient should understand that it is worth deciding on invasive methods of hernia treatment only when conservative therapy is completely ineffective. Any operation to remove an intervertebral hernia, no matter how much it costs, will not protect the patient from recurrences by 100%. Own health is only in the hands of the patient, and if he does not follow the recommendations of the attending physician, after some time he again runs the risk of being on the operating table.

The choice of intervention should always be left to the attending physician. In exceptional cases, the patient may have a choice regarding the option of surgery, but even then it is better to consult with a specialist and listen to him.

The price for the operation is always individual. When calculating the cost, the doctor takes into account the scope of the intervention, the risks of complications, the presence of concomitant pathologies, and many other factors.

Intervertebral hernia is a serious pathology that requires careful and thoughtful treatment. If the patient still has a need for surgical intervention, it is not worth refusing it. It is better, having made sure of its necessity, to choose a good surgeon and finally cope with your illness, even if through the operating table.