Consultant Spine Surgeon Mr Colin Natali - Part 2

The second part of our interview with Consultant Spine Surgeon Mr Colin Natali.

Topics include:

0:15 - What is a decompression procedure?
1:55 - Do discectomy and decompression both remove bone?
3:20 - A decompression does not mean disc material removal.
4:20 - Stenosis and neurogenic claudication. Injections and core stability can help this condition.
7:15 - The differences in back pain and leg pain.
9:10 - Does instability at a particular segment mean a fusion procedure? More detailed scans maybe required (e.g. a Spec CT scan - radioactive contrast to pick up metabolically hot regions).
11:50 - What has been your toughest case to date? The toughest cases tend to be trauma. In general, the complication rates are low with spine surgery but surgeons need to be prepared and acknowledge that it is a team effort.
14:55 - How do you separate emotions from the procedure and patient?
17:52 - What do you deem a success or failure? All patients should be questioned post procedure and these details logged into the British Spine Registry.