Hi I’m Dr. Tony Mork. Speaker, author, inventor, and board certified orthopedic surgeon committed to practicing endoscopic spinal surgery exclusively in the past 13 years. After performing thousands of cases with the use of laser, I'd like to talk about five myths about the use of the laser while performing endoscopic spinal surgery.
Laser Spine Surgery… 5 Myths and Truths
Myth number one. The laser is experimental in the use of spine surgery this is simply not the case. The holmium laser is FDA approved for use in Orthopedics in the spine since the 1980s and it's Medicare approved to treat painful lumbar discs as an outpatient, and getting Medicare approval for surgical procedures is no small feat. The use of the laser in spine surgery has generated lots of controversy and I think this is the case for several reasons. First, the lasers’ costly, maintenance is expensive, and a laser fiber must be used after each surgical case so cost is a factor. Secondly most spine surgeons were never trained to operate through a tube with a diameter of one half inch or less. The typical spine surgery incisions are larger and the patients are general anesthesia so the benefits of the laser may not seem obvious to the typical spine surgeon.
I cannot argue with any of the above but my point is, if a procedure can be performed through an incision with more comfort and less soft tissue disruption, and get the same outcome as a more invasive procedure, then I will take the smaller incision any day. The lasers’ a helpful tool and it can be effective but it must be used properly and for the correct indications if the best results could be obtained. I am unaware of any prospective papers that compare procedures with and without the use of the laser for the treatment of stenosis or facet syndrome or sacroiliac Joint Syndrome and I have used the laser in the treatment of all of the above.
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Blog Post here: https://drtonymork.com/back-surgery/myths-and-truths-about-laser-spine-surgery/
I'm Dr. Tony Mork and I run an Endoscopic Spine Surgery practice in Irvine, California and Naples, FL. I avoid a fusion when possible (which is most situations) and provide treatments that actually address the pain without taking an invasive approach.
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