A better understanding of these procedures will also help physicians counsel their patients about treatment options. “In the past patients avoided surgery because it was so invasive and debilitating. With the minimally invasive procedure, patients can now feel comfortable pursuing surgical options,” he says. “Additionally, some patients who weren’t candidates in the past—for example, older patients who might have been too weak for traditional surgery—can be considered candidates for minimally invasive procedures.”
Participants in this first rheumatology audioconference in the 2007 series will learn important information to help them treat all patients with the most current and least invasive surgical treatments available.
