What are some of the surgery advancements over the past decade?

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Currently, surgical procedures have surpassed all of history in leaps and bounds of advancement in success. With amazing technology, man has been able to get past many of the roadblocks to surgical problems that have haunted the medical professions before. Within different specialties, there have been amazing breakthroughs, which are able to change the most challenging problems for patients in this new century. Some areas of advancement include spinal surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, orthopedics and breast cancer advancements.

Spine

Spinal navigation technology has changed the course of spine surgery by a simple concept of not interrupting the surgeon to do fluoroscopy, which is a radiological technique that exposes everyone in the room to excessive amounts of radiation. Computer Assisted Image Guidance is still advancing at a rapid rate.

Spinal navigation uses a more powerful x-ray technology, but it is better focused with less scatter. Spinal navigation technology enables the surgeon to more accurately place spinal instrumentation, perform decompression (e.g. eliminate pressure on nerves), remove tumors, and other tasks. Three-dimensional models of a patient’s own spine appear on a computer screen with virtual representations of real surgical instruments that the surgeons have in their hand. Surgeries can even be planned “virtually” on the computer before a patient even goes to sleep under anesthesia.

Other advancements in spine surgery include bone morphogenetic proteins, better use of titanium, ceramic and carbon fibers, and advancement in disc replacement. People should know the kind of treatments they can avail rather than leaving it all to doctors. Professional websites, especially doctors’ sites like Dr. Juris Shibayama website, make it easier and more credible. It is important to avoid confusion and future complications.

Cardiothoracic Surgery

Every medical professional who works in an operating room, or radiological setting dream of all things wireless. For many years, the agony of unwinding wires and maintaining them in a sterile field has driven many good surgeons and techs to the depths of insanity. Modalities of fractional flow reserve (FFR) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) allow for wireless measurement with much more simplified technology, which does away with multiple connecting cables. This is used with a new IVUS-guided (intravascular ultrasound) balloon catheter now available in Europe. This type of surgical advancement is phenomenal when it comes to preparation and cleanup of surgeries and being able to maintain a sterile field where the patient can remain free of infection.

Orthopedics

Orthopedic medicine has had scores of surgical advancements somewhat currently and there is constant research in play in order to ease the pain of patients and keep them mobile as long as possible. Hip and knee replacement surgeries have become much more minimally invasive than those in the past. With partial joint replacements for younger patients, there is less need for narcotic use and patients can go home sooner and they do recover faster. Multimodal analgesic tactics like blocking the nerves will also help with post-op pain. Early mobilization and rapid rehabilitation protocols serve to quickly allow the patient to recover and get back into the swing of things.

Breast Cancer

For most of the history of surgical removal of breast tumors, mastectomy and lumpectomy have been the only two options for women with these types of cancer. The decision has always been made depending on the size of the tumor and the location it lies in the breast tissue. Women with large tumors were destined to have mastectomy and there were just no other options. Today with neoadjuvant therapy, with chemotherapy can be used to shrink larger tumors, which allow a different type of treatment plan. These types of advancements slow the progression of the disease immediately and allow for alternative surgical treatment of the tumors.