Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) is sometimes called less invasive spine surgery. In a traditional, open surgery, the doctor makes an incision that is 5 to 6 in. long and moves the muscles to the side in order to see the spine. One of the major drawbacks of open surgery is that the pulling or “retraction” of the muscle can damage the soft tissue.

In minimally invasive spine surgery, doctors use specialized instruments to access the spine through small incisions. This avoids significant damage to the muscles surrounding the spine. In most cases, this results in less pain after surgery and a faster recovery.

Common Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeries are

• MIS Lumbar Diskectomy
  The surgeon inserts the retractor and removes a small amount of the lamina bone. This provides the surgeon with a view of the spinal nerve and the disk. The surgeon carefully retracts the nerve, removes the damaged disk, and replaces it with bone graft material.
• MIS Lumbar Fusion
  In an MIS TLIF, the patient is positioned face-down and the surgeon places one retractor on either side of the spine. This approach prevents disruption of the midline ligaments and bone. Using the two retractors, the surgeon can remove the lamina and the disk, place the bone graft into the disk space, and place screws or rods to provide additional support.