Nov. 28--TUPELO -- A Tupelo neurosurgeon is getting national attention for a minimally invasive approach to spine surgery.
Dr. Walter Eckman, who presented at a national conference in Las Vegas last month, is getting questions not just about the technique, but also about how his patients are able to go home in a few hours.
"Not many people are doing spinal fusions and having people go home the same day," Eckman said. "Generally, we get lots of questions."
Since 2003, Eckman has been performing minimally invasive spinal fusions, which can be used to treat a number of chronic back pain issues. He uses a series of tubes, called a dilator, to spread the back muscles instead of cutting them. The instruments and materials are inserted through a plastic tube.
For the lumbar fusion, screws are used to hold the two segments of spine together. A tiny cage containing a sponge with growth protein is placed between the vertebrae so bone grows over it and fuses the levels permanently together.
Eckman and his staff have tracked the progress of their patients over the years. They've seen very few complications -- 11 in 694 procedures. But they found that people who stayed overnight in the hospital were much more likely to have complications.
"Most go home in two to six hours," Eckman said. "They know it's in their own best interest."
Getting up and walking soon after surgery seems to be the most effective medicine for post-operative back spasms and pain, Eckman said. Most patients report some pain over three days.
"Brisk walking releases a lot of spasms," Eckman said.
Most of Eckman's patients are back to work in a week or two. For the traditional, open lumbar fusion, people stayed in the hospital five to 10 days and took six months to recover.
Patients from outside Northeast Mississippi are seeking the minimally invasive surgery.
"We had a patient from Jackson who went to four different surgeons -- good surgeons -- asking them to do minimally invasive surgery," Eckman said.
He ended up in Tupelo because he could have the surgery he wanted.
"He got up and went home that day," Eckman said, with a friend doing the driving.
Ideally, Eckman would like to see minimally invasive surgery become the standard as it has for orthopedic and abdominal surgeries.
"It isn't just the incision," Eckman said. "We need to make sure patients have a totally different experience."
michaela.morris@journalinc.com
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