How Minimally Invasive Brain and Spine Surgery Is Changing Recovery

For many people, the idea of brain or spine surgery can be frightening. But advances in imaging, navigation, robotics, endoscopy, radiosurgery and other minimally invasive techniques are changing what surgery and recovery can look like for patients.

At Baptist Health Brain & Spine Care, specialists are using advanced technology and deep clinical expertise to treat complex brain, spine and nervous system disorders with greater precision and, whenever possible, less disruption to the body.

For patients, that can mean smaller incisions, less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, less pain, faster recoveries and a quicker return to daily life.

Surgical Precision Starts with Multidisciplinary Planning

Michael McDermott, M.D., is system chief executive of Baptist Health Brain & Spine Care, chief medical executive and Irma & Kalman Bass Endowed Chair in Clinical Neuroscience at Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute, and chair of the Department of Neurosciences at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

A longtime leader in neurosurgical care, particularly in brain tumors, meningiomas and Gamma Knife radiosurgery, Dr. McDermott says progress increasingly depends on collaboration—bringing the right specialists, tools and ideas together around each patient.

That team-based approach is especially important in minimally invasive care.

“Surgeons must understand not only where a tumor, seizure focus, aneurysm or spinal problem is located, but also how to reach it safely while protecting surrounding brain, spinal cord, nerves and blood vessels,” Dr. McDermott says.

Advanced imaging and 3D visualization are also helping neurosurgery patients better understand what their surgery involves.

“Patients and their families are able to visualize the brain’s structures and learn more about this organ they’re entrusting to our care,” he says. “Also, being able to visualize their procedure in advance can go a long way in reducing any anxiety they may be experiencing.”

Less Invasive, More Targeted

At Miami Neuroscience Institute, minimally invasive options can include radiosurgery for certain brain tumors, endoscopic approaches, minimally invasive spine procedures and image-guided techniques that help surgeons plan the safest treatment pathway.

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons notes that minimally invasive spine surgery is designed to relieve pressure on nerves, stabilize the spine or correct a structural problem while limiting tissue disruption associated with traditional open surgery.

Instead of large incisions and extensive muscle dissection, these procedures may use smaller openings, specialized instruments, tubular retractors, intraoperative imaging and navigation. For many patients, the result can be less inflammation, less blood loss, less postoperative pain, earlier mobility and a shorter hospital stay.

Just as important, Dr. McDermott says, is the culture of innovation at Baptist Health Brain & Spine Care that lies behind these advances.

“The field of neurosurgery is constantly evolving and we continue to embrace and even develop new techniques and technologies on behalf of our patients,” he says.

Treating Epilepsy with Minimally Invasive Surgery

Aviva Abosch, M.D., Ph.D., deputy director of Miami Neuroscience Institute, is director of epilepsy surgery, co-director of functional neurosurgery and Esernia Endowed Chair in Surgical Treatment of Adult Epilepsy & Movement Disorders. She says minimally invasive surgery plays a crucial role in epilepsy care.

“Determining where seizures originate drives the entire surgical pathway,” Dr. Abosch says. “It informs whether a patient may be best served by surgery, laser ablation, neuromodulation or continued medical management.”

At Miami Neuroscience Institute, one minimally invasive procedure—stereoelectroencephalography, or sEEG—is helping make that process more precise. Thin electrodes are placed in carefully planned areas of the brain to record seizure activity more directly than a scalp EEG can.

“Stereo EEG has become a fundamental part of the current approach to figuring out where seizures are originating, so that we can take the next step,” she says.

For patients, that next step may be surgery to remove a seizure focus, laser ablation to treat a small area of abnormal tissue, or neuromodulation such as responsive neurostimulation (RNS), an implantable technology often described as a pacemaker-like device for the brain.

Robotics and Recovery

Robotic surgery can also reduce the time needed for certain complex neurological procedures, Dr. Abosch says, which can improve the overall patient experience.

“You take a case that used to require more than 12 hours and make it three hours,” she says. “That is better for the patient for a number of reasons: less time under anesthesia, less procedural stress and a smoother experience overall for someone who is already facing the uncertainty of complex neurological testing.”

Technology in Experienced Hands

At Marcus Neuroscience Institute, part of Baptist Health, at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, chief medical executive Warren R. Selman, M.D., brings decades of experience in brain tumors, cerebrovascular disorders, traumatic brain injury, skull base tumors and pituitary tumors. He is also known for his work in virtual and augmented reality for neurosurgical planning.

Dr. Selman says excellent neurosurgical care begins with understanding the person behind the diagnosis.

“It’s understanding what’s important to them and trying to help them live the best lives they can,” he says. “Neurological disorders are one of the things that can really rob a person of who they are, their sense of what they are in life.”

That patient-centered approach is paired with sophisticated technology. Neurosurgery is highly technology driven, Dr. Selman says, and just as airline pilots train on flight simulators, neurosurgeons use virtual and augmented reality to study a patient’s anatomy and plan each step before surgery.

“We’re able to use the patient’s own anatomy to actually construct what we plan to do at the time of surgery and rehearse it in an environment where it’s safe to fail,” Dr. Selman says. “We can look at the best approach before we even enter the operating room.”

Patient-Centered Care Close to Home

For patients in South Florida, the growth of Baptist Health Brain & Spine Care means improved access to highly experienced teams at both Marcus Neuroscience Institute and Miami Neuroscience Institute.

Dr. Selman says both institutes are high-volume centers where highly trained specialists treat complex neurological conditions every day. They use advanced tools and collaborative decision-making to help patients pursue the safest, most effective path forward.

“We have an amazingly dedicated group of healthcare professionals and administrators working on a common goal, and that is to provide the very best care possible,” he says.

For patients facing debilitating brain or spine conditions, minimally invasive surgery may not always be the answer. But when it is appropriate, it can offer a powerful combination: advanced treatment, less disruption and a faster return to the life patients want to live.

Click here for more information about the treatments and specialists available at Baptist Health Brain & Spine Care.