Dr. Sarwahi has performed seven of these procedures, which include making three small incisions in the back instead of one large incision. An article he wrote on the procedures was recently published in the professional journal Scoliosis. All procedures were performed on patients with less than 70 percent curvature of the spine.
Although the procedure is complex, patients experience less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, relatively less pain and can become mobile sooner, Dr. Sarwahi said in the report. However, the new technique currently takes longer than the open procedure.
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