Heated Decompression Treatment for Herniated Discs

A new decompression catheter uses heat to treat lower back and leg pain associated with bulging or contained herniated discs.

Prescribed for symptomatic patients who have failed conservative treatments such as physical therapy, medication and rest, the decompression procedure utilizes thermal technology to modify nuclear tissue and relieve the pressure the herniation is creating on the spinal nerve root. The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia and requires only about 40 minutes. The catheter is the product of Smith & Nephew Endoscopy (Andover, MA, USA).

"Unlike invasive and other spinal decompression treatments that simply heat nuclear tissue within the center of the spinal disc, the Smith & Nephew decompression catheter utilizes thermal energy to direct heat to the physical site of pathology,” said Gunnar Andersson, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chairman, department of orthopedic surgery, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago (IL, USA).

"The addition of the Decompression Catheter to our minimally invasive spinal program significantly expands the number of potential patients we can help whose only other options may have been a discectomy, spinal fusion, or living with the pain,” said Ron Sparks, president, Smith & Nephew Endoscopy.




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