Understanding plasma knife fusion cutting technology

  Nucleoplasty, also known as plasma knife melting technique, was first applied in the United States in July 2000 for clinical arthroscopic surgery and treatment of lumbar disc herniation. The working principle is: using radio frequency energy (about 100Hz), a thin layer of plasma is formed at a low temperature, which attracts a large amount of Na+ around the head of the vaporizing rod, and these plasma particles move under the action of the energy provided by the head of the vaporizing rod, so that it gets enough energy to impact and break the molecular chain (peptide chain) between the tissue cells and form elemental molecules and low molecular gases (O2, H2, CO2, etc.). Generally about 40℃-50℃ can form an efficient and precise melting effect, remove part of the nucleus pulposus tissue, and complete the remodeling of the disc nucleus pulposus tissue, avoid thermal damage to the deep tissue, and do not produce solid particle residue. Further heating (approximately 70°C) vaporizes, shrinks and solidifies the fibers within the nucleus pulposus, reducing the total volume of the disc and decreasing the pressure within the disc, thus achieving the treatment goal. The total effective rate is 95.2%.  The indications for radiofrequency ablation myeloplasty are mainly cervical spine: cervical cervical spondylosis without disc calcification and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament, nerve root cervical spondylosis, particularly effective for sympathetic cervical spondylosis, and also for spinal cervical spondylosis; lumbar spine: lumbar disc herniation with bulging without disc calcification and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament, particularly effective for those with sympathetic symptoms.