Percutaneous Disc Nucleoplasty - Non-Surgical Treatment for Slipped Disc

What is Nucleoplasty?

This is a procedure where a small needle is inserted into the intervertebral disc to decompress the disc without any incision.

Traditional surgery for slipped disc involved open surgery to reach the disc and manually remove them.
Nucleoplasty is a minimally invasive technique that can be performed as a 20 minute procedure under local anaesthesia in a Day Surgery setting.

The patient gets to walk almost immediately after the procedure. There is hardly any down-time.

Decompression

• Decompressing the nucleus of the disc is a proven technique for relieving disc herniation, and for treating the pain symptoms it causes.
• Similar to letting air out of a tire, removing tissue from the center of a disc causes a reduction of pressure within the disc.
• This in turn leads to a reduction in the pressure that the disc applies to other parts of the body, such as nerve roots or the spinal cord. 
  
  
  
  

Who Are Good Candidates?

• Nucleoplasty is recommended for patients who have not responded to rest, medical intervention (including steroid injection), and/or physical therapy. 
• The ideal nucleoplasty patient has symptoms associated with a contained herniated disc.
  

Indicated For

• Radicular Symptoms:
• Radicular symptoms > Axial symptoms
• Radiologic evidence of contained disc protrusion
• Discography concordant, if indicated
• Failed conservative treatment
• Disc height > 50%
  

Also Indicated For

• Axial Symptoms (due to a contained disc herniation):
• Discography positive for concordant pain
• Disc height > 75%
• Failed conservative treatment
  
  
  

Who Should Not Go for This Procedure?

• Contraindications:
• Spinal fracture or tumor
• Extruded disc
• Complete annular disruption
• Moderate to severe spinal stenosis
• Severe degenerative disc
• Bone deformities
  

Is This An Experimental Procedure?

• Worldwide, over 100,000 Nucleoplasty procedures have been performed since the year 2000.
• This minimally invasive approach to treating contained disc herniations has helped over 100,000 patients return to active and productive lives.
• Published results are available.
  

You should speak with your Orthopaedic doctor regarding the best treatment for you.