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Sacroiliac Joint Surgery

By Scott Haufe, M.D. and Anthony R. Mork, M.D.

MicroSpine Spine Center

Recently our center MicroSpine Surgery Center (www.microspine.com) published the first and only report on a minimally invasive solution to sacroilitits. Sacroiliac joint pain is a troublesome problems that occurs mostly in women over the age of 40. It is more common post childbirth and it causes pain in the area just above the buttock. There is often pinpoint tenderness of the joint itself but the pain may be widespread.  In rare situations, the pain may even radiate down the legs and simulate radicular pain that is caused by a pinched nerve.

In our study, we noticed that most of the patients had very superficial pain and there was pinpoint tenderness at the top of the sacro-iliac joint itself. Our procedure involves a minimally invasive procedure which is defined as having an incision (scar of less than one inch.

The procedure involves a dilating tube system which is commonly utilized in many endoscopic procedures. Once the tubular system in on the region of the joint where pain is prevalent, laserscopic techniques are utilized to remove the damaged joint tissues from the joint itself.  The surgery results in a de-innervated joint and thus the pain is permanently resolved. The procedure takes around 30 minutes per joint. Complications are rare and involve the rare chance of infection which occurs in less than 1% of patients.

Success rate are around 60% good to excellent which is quite significant considering that conventional surgery involves a fusion type procedure with a 50% success rate and a 8 inch incision.

Follow up date suggest an even greater success rate once worker's compensation cases are removed which are often bias oriented cases. Thus the success rate is probably closer to 80% in the typical patient situation.

For information on the procedure please contact Dr. Scott Haufe, M.D. of MicroSpine Center in DeFuniak Springs, Florida.

Other information can be obtained via www.microspine.net or www.doctorbuzz.com www.laserspine.net www.neuroscopy.com www.microspinology.org www.microspinology.com www.flightinstruments.net www.mritoday.net 

December 2006