The revolution that started in the United States over 25 years ago is being successfully applied in our hospital for 15 years now.
It involves micro-endoscopic spinal surgeries that allow us to perform certain neurosurgical procedures in a less-invasive way compared to the traditional approach under general anesthesia – for example discectomy, foraminotomy, laminectomy and decompression.
METRx is a system of tubular retractors that provides us the ability to perform even more demanding procedures under regional or spinal anesthesia with constant cooperation and communication between the patient and the neurosurgeon throughout the procedure and maximal preservation of other spinal structures.
A few days ago our esteemed neurosurgeon assoc. prof. Karlo Houra, MD, PhD successfully performed a METRx micro-endoscopic spinal surgery. The patient had a foraminal herniated disc at L5-S1 that caused low-back pain with radiation into the leg.