Surgical Treatments

Our Stanford Spine experts provide a complete range of spinal surgery services to treat diseases of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine, ranging from the very traditional to the state-of-the-art.

Spinal surgery is a very exciting field where new developments and technology are improving both patient outcomes and satisfaction. Many of the older procedures can now be done with minimally invasive approaches assisted with endoscopes, laser techniques and/or computer-guided imaging, developed here at Stanford.

Stanford Spine neurosurgeons and other specialists work together to determine which treatment option will be best for you. Patients receive these procedures on an outpatient basis or with a brief hospital stay. In either situation, minimally invasive surgery reduces postsurgical pain and promotes faster recovery.

Surgical procedures

• Discectomies and decompressions (cervical, thoracic and lumbar)
• Lumbar fusion (anterior/posterior) - open and minimally invasive
• Complex spinal reconstruction
• Craniovertebral junction reconstruction
• Skull base spine surgery
• Spinal cord and spine tumor surgery
  
• Artificial disc replacement
• Vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty
• Pediatric spinal reconstruction 
• Comprehensive spine trauma surgery
• CyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery for spine tumors Reconstructive peripheral nerve surgery

Surgical technique improvements

Stanford spine surgeons and researchers have made significant improvements in the surgical treatment of spinal cord and spine tumors using intraoperative monitoring, computer-assisted surgical navigation systems, and microsurgical techniques developed in our Radiosurgery and Image Guidance laboratories.

These techniques include:

• Endoscopic anterior lumbar interbody fusion
• Thoracic endoscopic sympathectomy and discectomy
• Lumbar microendoscopic discectomy (for treating herniated discs)
• Cranio-vertebral junction reconstructive surgery (for tumors and rheumatoid arthritis)
• Surgical treatment of spinal cord and spinal tumors
• Complex reconstructive spinal instrumentation (for trauma and congenital disease)