Objective: To present an anterior thoracoscopy-assisted mini-open approach for minimally invasive resection of neurogenic tumors located at the thoracic apex. Methods: From February 2002 to December 2013, 18 consecutive patients underwent resection of neurogenic tumors located at the thoracic apex using a thoracoscopyassisted mini-open approach at our institution. There were 6 male and 12 femal...

Extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF; NuVasive, Inc, San Diego, California) is a minimally invasive technique developed to avoid complications associated with traditional or minimally invasive anterior or posterior approaches to lumbar interbody fusion. It uses a direct lateral, retroperitoneal, transpsoas approach for placement of an interbody cage. To date, no reports of cage-related compli...

Minimally invasive techniques to repair ruptured achilles tendons have been developed to enhance recovery following tendon repair and decrease wound complications associated with open repair. We investigated outcomes of minimally invasive and open repair of acutely ruptured achilles tendons at our institution. We compared all cases of achilles tendon repair at our department, using open techniq...

Minimally invasive techniques for lumbar spine fusion have been developed in an attempt to decrease the complications related to traditional open exposures (eg, infection, wound healing problems). Anterior minimally invasive procedures include laparoscopic and mini-open anterior lumbar interbody fusion as well as the lateral transpsoas and percutaneous presacral approaches. Posterior techniques...

Degenerative disease of the lumbar spine is a common and increasingly prevalent condition that is often implicated as the primary reason for chronic low back pain and the leading cause of disability in the western world. Surgical management of lumbar degenerative disease has historically been approached by way of open surgical procedures aimed at decompressing and/or stabilizing the lumbar spin...

Hysterectomy is one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in the United States. Selection of the route of hysterectomy for benign causes can be influenced by the size and shape of the vagina and uterus; accessibility to the uterus; extent of extrauterine disease; the need for concurrent procedures; surgeon training and experience; average case volume; available hospital technolog...

BACKGROUND Open and minimally invasive lumbar fusion procedures have inherent procedural risks, with posterior and transforaminal approaches resulting in significant soft-tissue injury and the anterior approach endangering organs and major blood vessels. An alternative lumbar fusion technique uses a small paracoccygeal incision and a presacral approach to the L5-S1 intervertebral space, which a...

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) has evolved to become the preferred minimally invasive approach for treating large-burden renal stones. This approach has replaced open renal surgery for stones. It has also evolved into a treatment option for treating noninvasive urothelial tumors of the upper urinary tract. Current percutaneous access techniques involve fluoroscopic or ultrasound guidance w...