What is plasma knife? Plasma knife treatment is called “percutaneous low-temperature plasma radiofrequency ablation myeloplasty”, which was introduced into China in 2003. Its efficacy in the treatment of cervical and lumbar spine diseases is so precise that it has become the first choice and the best method for minimally invasive treatment of cervical and lumbar spine diseases. What is the mechanism of action of plasma knife? Plasma ablation is performed by applying radiofrequency energy at 100Hz to physiological saline (Na+), which attracts a large amount of Na+ around the head of the cavitation rod and forms a plasma particle area. H2, etc.) to vaporize the tissue, thereby reducing the volume of the nucleus pulposus, lowering the pressure in the disc, reducing the protrusion of the annulus fibrosus, and relieving the pressure on the nerve root. What are the characteristics of plasma knife surgery? (1) The ablation temperature of the nucleus pulposus during plasma knife surgery is low, the surface temperature of the tissue is 40-70℃, and the ablation temperature is only 53℃, and the tissue temperature around the plasma knife head is less than 43℃ 1mm away, so the heat penetration is very small and will not damage other surrounding tissues. (2) The plasma knife is operated under the monitoring of CT or C-arm X-ray machine, which can directly reach the diseased intervertebral disc, so the effect is really precise and minimally invasive surgery. (3) The plasma knife head is extremely small, only 1mm, so the probability of medical injury is very small and the safety performance is good. What are the advantages of plasma knife compared with traditional surgery? (1) Traditional surgery is very traumatic, not only to remove the diseased tissue, but also to cause damage to normal tissues, easy to form adhesions and scarring after surgery, and this type of surgery is mostly the last step in the treatment of disease, after which basically no other surgical treatment can be performed, the plasma ablation tip is extremely small, only 1mm, so there is basically no bleeding after surgery, the wound does not need to be sutured, and recovery is fast. Because it is less invasive and preserves normal tissues, plasma ablation can be performed again or even several times after recurrence, leaving room for other treatments in the future. (2) Traditional surgery requires removal of the entire intervertebral disc, which seriously affects the stability of the spine and therefore requires metal internal fixation after surgery, whereas the mechanism of plasma knife surgery is to decompress the intervertebral disc and reduce the compression and irritation of nerve roots and blood vessels, rather than removing the entire disc, which has minimal effect on the stability of the spine and preserves the physiological function and anatomical shape of the spine. What are the advantages of plasma knife compared to laser treatment? Laser treatment is thermal melting, which uses high temperature (300-600°C) and a working radius of 3mm or more, and a large amount of heat energy enters the tissue, so the stimulation of the tissue around the diseased disc is great, and complications of discitis often occur, and severe pain occurs after surgery. The low working temperature of the plasma knife prevents complications such as scarring, nerve damage and vertebral instability. Is plasma knife surgery safe? Plasma Knife surgery is performed under CT or C-arm x-ray machine monitoring, which is equivalent to direct vision, resulting in a very high safety and success rate. What happens if I have a recurrence after plasma knife surgery? After plasma knife surgery, the procedure can be repeated, even multiple times, which is one of its great advantages over traditional surgery, and is even the preferred method when other procedures are ineffective or recurring. What are the indications for plasma knife surgery? (1) Cervical and lumbar disc herniation (2) Cervical vertigo (3) Vertebral artery type cervical spondylosis (4) Sympathetic nerve type cervical spondylosis (5) Those who cannot tolerate traditional surgery for medical reasons.