Laser Facet Rhizotomy

Laser Facet Rhizotomy, also known as endoscopic facet rhizotomy (lumbar), can provide relief even when other treatments have failed if you suffer from a spinal condition or back pain caused by:

• Bone spurs
• Chronic lower back pain
• 
Facet joint arthritis

• Facet hypertrophy
• Failed back and neck surgery
• Facet joint injuries
• Whiplash syndromes

If you suffer from these conditions and have had lower back pain for more than six weeks that has not responded to other treatments, Laser Facet Rhizotomy / Endoscopic Facet Rhizotomy (Lumbar) may be the solution to your back pain. Laser Facet Rhizotomy is a minimally invasive spine surgery usually done as an outpatient procedure while the patient is under local anesthesia.

During the procedure, the spine surgeon makes a small cut (7 mm) to insert an endoscope into the targeted location. The endoscope, a small flexible tube with a video camera, is placed so the small nerve branches (medial branch), which only have sensory function, can be easily seen. The surgeon then uses a laser to deaden these nerve branches thereby eliminating the patient's pain.

Laser Facet Rhizotomy can completely eliminate pain because it literally deadens the sensory nerves that detect pain in a specific area making it an option for patients who suffer from severe or chronic pain that has not responded to other treatments. The disadvantage of rhizotomy is that it also blocks other normal feeling in the area.