Summary
A patient came to Deuk Spine Institute with severe thoracic back pain at the T6-T7 level that radiated around the left side of her rib cage, making any forward or backward flexion excruciating. An MRI confirmed a herniated disc at T6-T7, though Dr. Deukmedjian found the herniation to be significantly worse than imaging had indicated once he was inside. She underwent the thoracic Deuk Laser Disc RepairⓇ as an outpatient procedure, and by the time she left the facility the same day, her pain was completely gone. The following morning she reported sleeping better than she had in a long time and was standing, walking, and feeling amazing — with zero pain in the previously affected area.
Transcript
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: I’m Dr. Deukmedjian, CEO and founder at the Deuk Spine Institute, and I have one of my patients who underwent a thoracic Deuk Laser Disc RepairⓇ just yesterday. She had this surgery done outpatient and she came to us having thoracic pain up at the T6-T7 area. We found a herniated disc on the MRI. How are you doing today?
Patient: Well, Dr. Deuk, I’m doing amazing compared to what I was yesterday. I came in with a heck of a lot of pain — pain that radiated through the side of my rib cage. Any type of flexion forward or back was excruciating. Yesterday when I left here — zero pain. Zero pain in that area. No pain in that area. So I can’t thank you enough.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: You’re welcome. So we did the thoracic Deuk Laser Disc RepairⓇ, and you could see in the video how we made a four-millimeter incision and went in and used the laser to repair your T6-T7 disc, cleaning out the herniation. I found a lot of herniation in there — as a matter of fact, it was worse than the MRI indicated. The MRI didn’t look too bad, but the fact is your pain was exactly at T6-T7 and it wrapped around on the left ribs, and your MRI had a herniation there, so it all made sense. We fixed it for you, and here you are.
Patient: Yeah, doing great — standing up, walking. It was outpatient, so it was amazing. I was referred to you and I could not be happier with you and your entire staff. Trust me, I slept better last night than I have in a long time.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian: Great, I’m glad to hear that. And thank you for sharing yourself.
Patient: Thank you.
The Better Way: Deuk Laser Disc RepairⓇ (DLDR)
This patient underwent the Deuk Laser Disc RepairⓇ for the thoracic spine at Deuk Spine Institute to treat a herniated disc at T6-T7 that was causing severe mid-back pain radiating around the left rib cage. Using a minimally invasive four-millimeter incision and laser debridement, Dr. Deukmedjian cleaned out the herniation — which proved more extensive than MRI imaging had suggested — in an outpatient procedure requiring no hospitalization and no narcotic pain medication. The thoracic Deuk Laser Disc RepairⓇ (DLDR) is a specialized procedure for patients suffering from mid-back pain, rib pain, or radiating chest-wall discomfort caused by thoracic disc herniations — a condition that is frequently underdiagnosed and undertreated elsewhere.