top of page

Procedures

Here you can learn about the procedures we use to help and diagnose and cure our patients, using cutting-edge tools and knowledge.

dr alvaro gonzalez ross

Seeking the well-being of the patient is the mission of the doctor, taking advantage of advances in technology and always offering a humane treatment.

Dr Alvaro Gonzalez Ross, Spine Specialist Traumatologist

Lumbar and thoracic endoscopic surgery.

This is a minimally invasive or “ultra minimal” invasive surgery. It is done with the use of a camera (endoscope) that allows us to have an excellent view inside the spine through an 8 to 10mm wound. Through this small wound, herniated discs can be removed or compressed nerves can be expanded. This technique even allows us to do it under local anesthesia and sedation, so the patient can go home a few hours later.

​

Even non-surgical pain management interventions can be performed. Minimally invasive surgery can also be offered supported by the latest technology endoscope or microscope, stabilizing the spine with small wounds and little aggression to the muscles.

Endoscopic cervical spine surgery

This is a minimally invasive or “ultra minimal” invasive surgery. It is done with the use of a camera (endoscope) that allows us to have an excellent view inside the spine through a 4 to 8mm wound. In the indicated patient, it allows decompressing a compressed nerve that causes pain in the arms and/or hands, whether due to a herniated disc or foraminal stenosis. The spinal cord can also be decompressed when the canal narrows as a result of aging of the spine.

Microsurgery

Spinal surgery with microscope support, which allows minimally invasive surgery or to improve the visualization of the structures (nerves or disc) that will be worked on in the surgery.

 

The microscope is an excellent complement to spinal surgery to improve the safety of the procedure, whether it is decompression or spinal stabilization (screws and rods).

Radio frequency

This procedure is an option for patients suffering from chronic low back or cervical pain without radicular pain (neck or back pain without pain to arms or legs respectively). It is about dehydrating the nerves that give sensitivity to the joints of the spine. Pain relief can be expected in an average of one year, there are patients in whom it can be obtained about two years.

 

It consists of lowering some tips with sensors to be able to corroborate the proximity to the nerve of interest and at the same time it can stimulate it to corroborate that it would not be damaging any other nerve that is not intended to be treated, thereby giving a margin of safety.

Therapeutic block

It consists of an application of local anesthesia and a steroid (cortisone or similar). A fine needle is guided with imaging (fluoroscope) into the spine to treat pain in the spinal joints, a specific nerve, or epidural space. It has both a diagnostic and a therapeutic objective in certain cases.

​

It can be applied as an option for the management of chronic pain of low back or neck pain, with an improvement of 3 to 4 months.

​

It can also be used as an option to improve symptoms of sciatic pain to try to avoid surgery.

bottom of page