Laser Spine Surgery-PLDD

Approved by the FDA and recognized by the AMA, PLDD is a minimally invasive laser treatment
performed on an outpatient basis using only local anesthesia. During the procedure, a laser beam vaporizes a
tiny portion of the disc, decompressing it. Patients typically get off the table and go home. There is no hospital stay, no long recovery period, and PLDD costs many thousands of dollars less than surgery.

PLDD is the minimally-invasive medical procedure developed by Dr. Daniel S.J. Choy in 1986 that
uses a laser beam to treat back and neck pain caused by a herniated disc. A herniated disc is like a balloon with a weak spot. Inating it will cause a bulge (herniation). Pain results from the bulge pressing against nerves in the spinal column.

The PLDD treatment is performed on an outpatient basis using only local anesthesia. During the
procedure, a thin needle is inserted into the herniated disc under x-ray guidance. An optical ber is inserted
through the needle and laser energy is sent through the ber, vaporizing a tiny portion of the disc nucleus.
This creates a partial vacuum which draws the herniation away from the nerve root, thereby relieving the pain. The effect usually is immediate.

Patients get off the table with just a small adhesive bandage and return home for 24 hours of bed
rest. Then patients begin progressive ambulation, walking up to a mile. Most return to work in four to ve
days.
Because only a thin needle is used, there is no cutting and no scarring. Since only a tiny amount of disc is
vaporized, there is no subsequent spinal instability. PLDD is different from open lumbar disc surgery because
there is no damage to the back muscle, no bone removal or large skin incision. Most of the complications that
may occur with open surgery are eliminated with the PLDD procedure.