Spine Tumor Surgery in Dallas TX – What You Need to Know
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Finding out that you have a spinal tumor can be overwhelming to come to terms with, however, know that you can always look to spine tumor surgery in Dallas, TX for options. Cervical spine tumor surgery is minimally invasive, but is no less beneficial when it comes to helping treat this problem.
To begin, your physician will first look at the location, the size, and the kind of tumor that you have. This means they have to assess if your tumor is either malignant or benign—the latter simply means that it isn’t cancerous that began on your spine, but won’t spread to other areas in the way a malignant tumor with cancerous cells would.
Experts consider surgery to be the best option for this particular problem as certain spinal tumors actually resist chemotherapy and radiation. There are cases where the tumor has also grown so large, affecting nerves and causing an array of health issues as a consequence. The surgery can help prevent further tumor growth that can lead to it pressing on your spinal nerves as this might lead to paralysis.
Spine Tumor Surgery Complications
It might be considered a minimally invasive spine tumor surgery, but it doesn’t mean that the procedure wouldn’t come with certain risks. Here’s what you need to keep in mind:
The foremost risk would be paralysis—but, before you get discouraged, know that such occurrences are rare. Doctors and the medical technology used have progressed to the point where the risk has been nearly eliminated. Still, it is worth a mention given that you would want to know everything before going through with the surgery.
The real risk is in not going through with it. In fact, many situations have been cited wherein patients who opted out of the surgery experienced further tumor growth that led to spinal injury. There have also been reports of patients ending up paralyzed or experienced blood clots, as well as other serious health complications. The goal of the surgery, after all, is to fix the problem within a healthy time frame to keep it from getting worse.
Spine Tumor Surgery Cost
One of the biggest reasons as to why certain individuals opt out of the procedure is because of money. Yes, it can cost you quite a bit of money—but once you weigh that against the possible outcome of not going through with the surgery, it’s easy to see that the price is worth its value.
Spinal tumors can significantly affect the quality of your life and your work. A loss of livelihood might be inevitable if it remains untreated. Costs will vary from state to state so in order to find out the official numbers, it is best to phone a trusted Neurosurgery clinic in your area.
Here at Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery of Texas are open to any questions you might have about the procedure itself and the possible costs associated with it. Dr. Scott Kutz, MD. is a trusted expert in this field and he would be able to walk you through the process, from consultations to recovery.
Spine Tumor Surgery Recovery Rate
When it comes to recovering after the surgery, this depends on the individual case. It can be as short as three months for some people, while others can take a year to fully recover.
The complexity of the surgery also factors into this, but most patients would have regained strength and feel almost “normal” after three to four months. The healing process can take longer, often lasting for a year or more.
Hospital stays after the procedure can range from 5 to 10 days, afterward physical rehabilitation follows. This is required and some patients do choose to stay in the hospital for a certain length of time so that they can work with a physical and occupational therapist. Of course, physical therapy and the rest of the rehabilitation period can be continued as an outpatient or at home.
What about long-term implications? Doctors will monitor you for a certain period so that they can easily detect any signs of tumor recurrence. This is why periodic MRI scans will be done in order to check for recurrence and find out if it has spread elsewhere in your body.
Spine Tumor Surgery Benefits
- Modern procedures are known to be minimally invasive, causing less trauma to the patient’s body and making the process easier, as well as quicker in terms of recovery.
- Lower risks. Given the progress of spinal surgery techniques, the possibility of spinal damage or paralysis has almost been eliminated.
- Known to be more effective when compared to radiation or chemotherapy. Given the sensitivity of the area the tumor is located in, immediate removal is often the best solution in order to avoid the possibility of damage or further damage to the spine.
- The surgery is available in many different states and in various localities, allowing you easy access with no need to travel far in order to find a facility that can help with your problem.
- Recovery time is shorter than most, and you can start your physical therapy within 10 days of getting the procedure done.
Understandably, you might still harbor some doubts when it comes to the procedure or may have more questions about spine tumor surgery in Dallas TX that we did not discuss in this article. If so, feel free to give us a call at (972) 244-3491 or drop by the clinic! We’d be more than happy to help you out.
