Prices in Germany are normally 75% below the cost for a nucleoplasty, also called percutaneous nucleoplasty in the US and are individually quoted. They include all medical expenses, the hospital stay, surgeon's fees, operation room fees, anesthesia, anesthesiologist's fees, medicine, nursing, semi-private room, meals, pre-op diagnosis, local phone and English TV.
Nucleoplasty: Definition
Nucleoplasty is a technique used to achieve disc decompression (reduction of pressure inside the disc). Nucleoplasty uses a catheter (a percutaneous method) about the width of 1/20th of an inch to create a pathway to and into the disc.
Nucleoplasty: Procedure
A transmitter is introduced into the disc through the catheter, while the patient is awake under topical anesthesia and light sedation. When the transmitter is energized it sends radio waves into the jelly-like nucleus of the herniated disc. Low-temperature ionized gases are generated, which break up the spongy nucleus, which is then partially removed and causes the bulge in the disc to recede, Consequently nerves should no longer be irritated by the herniation.
The Nucleoplasty should take no more than 30 minutes. The patient should expect to walk out of the hospital in an hour.
Nucleoplasty: Improvements
New nucleoplasty procedures have successfully overcome many of the limitations of previous techniques by increasing the accuracy of the procedure. New nucleoplasty procedures more precisely control for the removal of sequestrations. Accordingly, it has become much more popular for performing minimally invasive disc decompression. Laser treatment or heat based treatments are not recommended.