Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Abroad: Faster Recovery, Less Pain in India

Minimally invasive spine surgery

Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (MISS) is an advanced surgical method invented to manage spinal conditions using smaller incisions, minimal disturbance of muscles and faster healing compared to traditional open spine surgery.

What is Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery?

MISS is a technique that uses special tools and radiographic guidance (such as fluoroscopy or endoscopes) to reach the spine using small incisions. Unlike open surgery where the muscles are pulled apart extensively, MISS disseminates or slightly dilates the muscles causing minimal damage.

Conditions Treated with MISS

• Herniated discs
• Spinal stenosis
• Spinal deformities (localized scoliosis, cases of kyphosis)
• Degenerative disc disease
• Tumors in the spine (select cases) and infections.
• Spinal fractures

Common Procedures

• Microdiscectomy- The removing of the herniated disc tissue that is touching a nerve.
• Laminectomy / Laminotomy- Surgery of the spinal cord or nerves to relieve pressure by removing a portion of the lamina (bone).
• Spinal fusion (minimally invasive fusion / TLIF / PLIF) - The stabilisation of the spine through small incisions with the help of screws and rods.
• Foraminotomy - The enlargement of the canal through which the nerve roots pass out of the spine.
• Vertebrospinal surgery / Kyphoplasty- Surgery to correct compression fractures with bone cement.

Advantages of MISS

• Smaller incisions (1–2 cm)
• Less blood loss
• Less tissue and muscle injury.
• Reduced length of stay (inpatient or outpatient) (sometimes equal or less than one day).
• Quickened recovery and normal activity.
• Reduced risk of infection and after-surgery pain.

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Best minimally invasive spine surgery hospitals

• Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon
• Medanta-The Medicity, Gurgaon
• Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon
• Max Hospital, Saket

Factors Affecting Minimally invasive spine surgery cost in India

The major parameters that affect the cost of minimal invasive spine surgery (MISS) in India:

Type and complexity of Procedure

• Prices can be very different based on the type of surgery - a microdiscectomy can be cheaper, whereas a minimally invasive spinal fusion or TLIF can be pricier. 
• Complex conditions are associated with complex methods, increased operating time and potentially more procedures, all of which are expensive. 

Hospital Building and site

• The rates of premium, multispecialty hospitals, in particular in the metro cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, tend to be higher than in the tier-2 cities. 

Experience of surgeon and reputation

• Extremely experienced or known surgeons can charge very high prices because they are also knowledgeable and might yield better results. 

Technology & Equipment Used

• More sophisticated methods are available, such as neuronavigation or robotic navigation, but this also increases the cost. 
• Implantation (e.g. rods, cages, or artificial discs) and in particular imported implants also increases the cost substantially. 

Hospitalization and Aftercare

• Extended occupancy - particularly in the ICU or luxury rooms - can add significantly to the expenses. Minimally invasive procedures usually spend less time in hospitals and may reduce the total costs. 
• Often physiotherapy, regular check-ups and medications are charged separately as the follow-up costs. 

Preoperative Diagnostics and postoperative services

• Pre-op tests (diagnostic imaging MRI, CT, X-rays), blood tests and so on add to the overall cost. 
• Rehabilitation, consultations, medications, and follow-up impose further levels to the overall spending after surgery. 

Medical Tourism and Practice Lean

• The low operational, administrative and infrastructure costs mean that India can offer competitive prices without sacrificing quality. 
• Corporate medical tourism packages can also take care of visa arrangements, accommodation, and transfers and relieve foreign patients.

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Top surgeons for minimally invasive spine surgery

• Dr. Hitesh Garg
• Dr. Sudhir Dubey
• Dr. Sandeep Vaishya
• Dr. Rana Patir
• Dr. Bipin Walia

Factors Affecting Affordable minimally invasive spine surgery

Some of the main things contributing to the lower costs of minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS):

Type of procedure and complexity of clinic

• Other less complicated operations such as discectomy or decompression are cheaper than complicated multilevel or spinal fusions. 
• Less working time and fewer resources lower total cost. 

Selection of Hospital/Geographic Location

• State or smaller local hospitals tend to have considerably lower rates than those of private, metro-based hospitals. 
• Cities such as Delhi, Mumbai are priced higher even in the private sector as compared to tier-II or regional cities. 

Awareness of Resources and Expertise of Surgeon

• Experienced surgeons are more expensive, and at times a surgeon who is inexperienced but can deliver the same results at a lower price might be available. 
• Cost awareness by surgeons can contribute to the reduction of expenses, and in the studies that examined the cost of implants and wastage, the cost awareness led to the substantial decrease in the cost of implants. 

Implant Options & Materials

• The use of foreign implants increases the price. By choosing local implants or more affordable implant options, without a drop in quality, one can save significant amounts of money due to a decrease in the total cost of surgery. 

In-hospitalization and post-surgery

• MISS frequently allows reduced hospitalizations, and even same-day discharge in some instances, reducing the cost of rooms and care. 
• Curtailed ICU or luxury rooms will also help reduce costs. 

Pre-Op Diagnostics and post-op services

• Imaging (MRI/CT), consultations, medications and even physiotherapy sessions are expensive. Reducing the number of meaningless tests and adapting follow-up to what is actually required curbs costs. 

Organization of Health Systems and Economies of Scale

• MISS is inherently cheaper in India, since the administrative and operational overheads are low in compared to the Western countries. 
• Large number of patients allows the fixed costs to be spread across many cases, reducing the costs further. 

Technological Progress and Availability

• Although advanced technologies (robotics, neuronavigation) add to the cost in the short term, with more widespread use and increased availability, costs are starting to fall in the long term.

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Minimally invasive spine surgery with GetWellGo

GetWellGo is regarded as a leading supplier of healthcare services. We help our foreign clients choose the best treatment locations that suit their needs both financially and medically.

We offer:

• Complete transparency
• Fair costs.
• 24 hour availability.
• Medical E-visas
• Online consultation from recognized Indian experts.
• Assistance in selecting India's top hospitals for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery.
• Expert spine surgeon with a strong track record of success
• Assistance during and after the course of treatment.
• Language Support
• Travel and Accommodation Services
• Case manager assigned to every patient to provide seamless support in and out of the hospital like appointment booking
• Local SIM Cards
• Currency Exchange
• Arranging Patient’s local food