Emirati patient returns to work within 24 hours after spinal surgery in Abu Dhabi hospital

An Emirati patient returned to work within 24 hours after two minimally invasive surgeries to treat severe back pain at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), in Abu Dhabi.

A joint-venture partnership between Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha) and Mayo Clinic, SSMC uses advanced surgical techniques that significantly reduces recovery times, even for complex spinal procedures.

Jasem Al Marzooqi had a sports injury that had caused damage to his lumbar spine, leading to severe lower back pain, back stiffness and muscle spasms associated with nerve root compression symptoms, such as leg pain, numbness and weakness. He was brought in an ambulance and had to be anaesthetized for the MRI.

Three months later, Al Marzooqi faced an entirely different spinal issue, this time affecting his neck, where one of his cervical discs had prolapsed, causing pain in his neck and left arm.

Dr. Waseem Aziz, consultant neurosurgeon, performed a minimally invasive surgery, transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF), to remove a degenerative disc and relieve pressure on nerve roots in the lumbar spine. The surgery was successful, and Al Marzooqi was able to be discharged and go to work the next day to attend his promotion interview.

Dr. Aziz said, “We performed another complicated spine surgery using a technique called anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), to remove a degenerative disc in the patient’s neck. In this procedure, an incision is made in the throat to reach and remove the disc and a graft is inserted to fuse together the bones above and below the disc.”

Recent advances in technology have led to the availability of 3D printed titanium cages that optimize fusion rates and the restoration of the upper part of the spine.

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