Medical Breakthroughs: Undergoing barricaid surgery to relieve back pain
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Amber Dillard's herniated disc was caused when the soft center of the spinal disc pushed through a tear.
Neurosurgeon Jamal Taha says a discectomy is often used to remove the part of the disc that's bulging.
“If you remove too much of that disc, that increases the chances of back pain after surgery,” Taha said. “And if you remove too little, there's a good chance that the disc can herniate again."
In fact, 30 to 40 percent of patients will need a second surgery.
But now, the Food and Drug Administration approved a device called barricaid to help patients avoid a second surgery.
“It's a little device where if you have a tear, it goes in that tear, it flips up as a plug — as a mesh, and it just plugs it,” Taha said, adding that the disc will push against the plug instead of coming out.
After a few months, Dillard's pain is gone, and she is now focused on raising her furry family.
The procedure takes about 45 minutes, and Dillard was able to go home the same day.
Studies show that patients who used the barricaid procedure had an 81% chance of not having a second surgery.
It's the only FDA-approved technology for reducing re-herniation and re-operation after a lumbar discectomy.
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