Euroclinic: European first in lumbar discectomy surgery!

Euroclinic: European first in lumbar discectomy surgery!

Athens Euroclinic:

For the first time in Europe, lumbar discectomy surgery with local anesthesia

For the first time in Europe, a lumbar discectomy surgery was performed under local anesthesia at the Athens Euroclinic on 24 October. The procedure was performed by Mr. N. Maratheftis, neurosurgeon, and his team on a 70-year-old patient who was awake during surgery, became fully mobile within 2 hours, had immediate improvement of his symptoms and was discharged on the same day. Since then, this method has become routine.

Until recently, lumbar discectomy surgeries under local anesthesia were performed exclusively at selected centers in the USA and have significant benefits for the patient. Specifically, these are reduced postoperative pain, one-day hospitalization and immediate mobility of the patient, while patients who do not want to or should not undergo general anesthesia now have the chance to get surgery.

The most significant advantage of lumbar discectomy surgery under local anesthesia is that, during the surgery, the patient is able to talk to the surgeon while they examine the affected area. So, they are able to perform surgical movements while receiving valuable feedback from the patient. The procedure is safer and the chance of neurological damage is almost zero.

Mr. N. Maratheftis, Director of Neurosurgery of the Athens Euroclinic, stated, “In lumbar surgeries, we are now able to use normal surgical instruments and the surgical microscope, while we apply minimally invasive techniques (1cm incision) and administer only local anesthesia. This leads to an excellent result and our patient is able to walk away after a few hours.”

As Mr. A. Vouklaris, CEO of the Euroclinic Group, commented, “Euroclinic is paving the way globally, thanks to its leading physicians, who apply specialized and innovative medical techniques, which are only performed at selected centers abroad.”