The Dubai Bone and Joint Center (DBAJ) said it has successfully performed a minimally invasive spinal fusion surgery (MISS) using the Axial Lumbar Interbody Fusion (AxiaLIF) technique for the first time in the region.

DBAJ, the first and only center for musculoskeletal treatment and research in the Middle East, is located in Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), the most integrated healthcare free zone and a member of Tatweer.

The surgery was led by DBAJ-based expert Dr Zbiggy Brodzinsky, with the assistance of Dr Vicenc Gilete from the Barcelona Spine Center, said a DBAJ statement.

"The successful operation was facilitated by the use of AxiaLIF/TranS1, a minimally invasive technique. The device is inserted through a tiny incision, which allows for the damaged disc to be removed," explained Dr Brodzinsky.

"Previous approaches to this process required surgeons to cut through numerous muscles and nerves to reach the disc space."

"The AxiaLIF procedure requires only a one-inch incision near the tailbone and avoids the need to damage other tissues, which has lessened complications," he pointed out.

"The duration of surgery is less than an hour with AxiaLIF compared to the usual time that is four times longer. It also reduces the hospital stay dramatically, as patients can be released from the hospital a day after the surgery."

"Under normal course, this could run to three to four nights, followed by a one- to two-month recovery period," Dr Brodzinsky added.

AxiaLIF enables surgeons to perform lumbar fusion surgery without major dissections of the surrounding spinal soft tissue.

In a short period of time, AxiaLIF has demonstrated a change in the way spinal fusion surgeries are performed while revolutionizing patient care by dramatically reducing recovery period, it added.

TranS1, a publicly-held medical device company listed on the Nasdaq in the US, has pioneered AxiaLIF, an innovative trans-sacral approach to lumbar surgery for the treatment of low back pain (LBP).

The AxiaLIF System includes surgical instruments for creating a safe and reproducible pre-sacral access route to the L5 - S1 vertebral bodies.

The AxiaLIF technique features novel instrumentation to enable standard of care fusion principles, distraction and stabilization of the anterior lumbar column while mitigating the soft tissue trauma associated with traditional lumbar fusion through open surgical incisions.

Suzanne Al Houby, DBAJ vice-president, said the Dubai Bone and Joint Center operates on high standards of quality, excellence and innovation in line with the DHCC standards to ensure promising results.

"Our objective is to provide the best medical care through adopting pioneering techniques that optimize quicker patient recovery," she explained.

The lumbar fusion surgery through the Axial Lumbar Interbody Fusion (AxiaLIF) technique for the first time in the region comes as part of the DBAJ’s endeavour to remain as the centre for medical excellence that spearheads advanced techniques in patient care.

In March, Dr Michael van Steijn, Orthopedic Surgeon at the Dubai Bone and Joint Center successfully performed a pioneering computer-assisted total knee replacement procedure, setting a new regional benchmark in the treatment of debilitating medical conditions.-TradeArabia News Service