How much does spinal surgery cost in Turkey?
The cost of spinal surgery in Turkey ranges from £2,800 to £11,700. The price depends on the type of operation, the surgical technique, the length of treatment, the cost of medication, the experience and reputation of the surgeons, and the fees of the clinic or hospital.
| Lumbar spinal fusion | £4,200 |
| Cervical spinal fusion | £5,600 |
| Discectomy | £2,800 |
| Laminectomy | £3,900 |
| Spinal decompression | £3,600 |
| Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) | £4,200 |
| Scoliosis surgery | £11,700 |
| Spinal cord stimulator implantation | £6,500 |
| Artificial disc replacement | £7,500 |
How to arrange spinal surgery in Turkey
Back pain affects a great many people. Their GP usually offers medication first. Sometimes that is enough to ease the pain. Sometimes alternative therapies such as physiotherapy are recommended. But it also happens that these treatments do not work. The doctor then turns to surgery.
Spinal surgery is a delicate procedure. After all, it involves a very important part of the body. The slightest error could cause a serious side effect. That is why choosing your surgeon matters so much.
Turkey is increasingly attracting international patients for surgical care. The quality of its medical facilities and the skill of its neurosurgeons are the country’s main strengths. It is not called a leader in medical tourism for nothing.
Turkey is home to several specialist surgical hospitals for the spine. They are concentrated in large cities such as Istanbul and Ankara.
What is spinal surgery in Turkey?
The spine is known as the backbone. It is an assembly of articulated bones called vertebrae. This bony column has an important function. It supports the head and the trunk. Medical experts also describe the spine as a second brain. It relays a great deal of important information to the nervous system.
A problem in the spine usually causes back pain. It can be severe and disabling. The treatments offered mainly aim to relieve the pain.
If these therapeutic approaches do not improve the patient’s condition, the treating doctor refers them to a neurosurgical specialist. The specialist can carry out a more detailed assessment. This allows them to identify the cause of the problem and the ideal treatment technique.
Spinal surgery in Turkey only comes after non-surgical treatments have failed. Through an operation, the medical team can correct the cause of the back pain.
Also read our guides to hip replacement in Turkey, knee replacement in Turkey and shoulder replacement in Turkey.
Who is spinal surgery in Turkey suitable for?
Spinal surgery in a Turkish medical institution suits men and women with acute and persistent back pain. The operation removes the cause of their suffering. The procedure mainly treats a vertebral disease or abnormality. This may be:
- A hernia in the neck affecting a spinal nerve root,
- A lumbar disc hernia,
- Spinal stenosis causing compression of the spinal cord,
- A malformation or deformity of the vertebrae,
- A tumour,
- Degenerative problems linked to ageing of the spinal skeleton,
- Vertebral fractures,
- A symptom of scoliosis,
- Dislocations,
- Infections of the spine,
- Structural defects,
- Cervical fusion, and so on.
When is back surgery not indicated?
Surgery concerns only a small proportion of back pain cases, and the guidelines say so explicitly. NICE in the UK advises against offering spinal fusion to a patient with low back pain outside a clinical trial, and against offering disc replacement at all[1].
The Haute Autorité de Santé concludes that fusion does no better than intensive rehabilitation[2]. Decompression remains reserved for sciatica where imaging matches the symptoms[1]. That match is established before any medical tourism trip to Turkey is arranged.
What is the ideal age or the age limit for spinal surgery?
It is up to the neurosurgeon to check whether the patient’s health and physical condition will allow them to withstand the operation. They are therefore required to carry out a thorough assessment before authorising this type of surgical treatment.
How does the operation unfold?
Preparation
Anyone due to undergo spinal surgery in Turkey needs a battery of medical tests. These may include:
- Blood tests,
- Body X-rays,
- An MRI,
- Neurological tests.
The doctor may sometimes suggest a physical examination. It checks whether the patient is in good health. This shows whether they will be able to withstand the operation.
Operation
Hospitals and medical centres in Turkey offer various back surgery techniques. These include:
- Advanced endoscopy, a modern minimally invasive technology using an incision of a few millimetres,
- Hernia surgery, known as microdiscectomy, which removes the disc fragment compressing the nerve,
- Spinal fusion, performed for chronic back pain or degenerative changes,
- Laminectomy to treat lumbar spinal stenosis,
- Foraminotomy, used to relieve pressure on the nerves.
- Corpectomy to treat a fracture, a type of surgery that removes the affected vertebral body and replaces it with a graft,
- Disc replacement.
Recovery
After spinal surgery in Turkey, the patient is taken to the recovery room for 2 to 3 hours. They can then return to their room. The hospital stay, however, lasts several days. The medical team must monitor how the patient’s condition progresses.
The patient receives various medical treatments. These are designed to ensure better pain management. Returning to activity depends on the operation and the patient’s condition. Rehabilitation, whose benefit is documented, begins four to six weeks after the operation, and the quality of that evidence remains low[3].
What are the risks, complications and side effects?
Spinal surgery in Turkey is known to be a delicate procedure. Complications can occur during or after the operation. Their frequency is known: 3.1% surgical site infections, of which 1.7% are deep[4], and 5.8% dural tears[5]. The most common are:
- Wound infection,
- Persistent pain,
- Anaesthesia-related problems,
- Spinal cord injury,
- Non-union.
Why have spinal surgery in Turkey?
Patients have several options for ending their back pain. But choosing spinal surgery in Turkey is a sound one. It gives you access to high-quality care. Hospitals in Istanbul have top-of-the-range equipment.
Many surgeons in Turkey have also chosen neurosurgery as their specialty. They are skilled and highly experienced. These experts can therefore perform any type of back surgery. Yet the cost of treatment is low.
The patient can also use this medical trip for spinal surgery in Turkey to discover this dream destination. A high-quality stay awaits.
Frequently asked questions
Is spinal surgery in Turkey painful?
The patient feels nothing during the operation. They are under general anaesthesia. But post-operative pain does exist. The medical team nonetheless looks after the patient’s comfort. They offer various treatments to ease the pain.
What is the success rate of spinal surgery in Turkey?
No overall rate exists: the outcome depends on the indication being operated on. In sciatica caused by a disc hernia, 95% of patients report being recovered at twelve months, whether operated on or not[6]. In chronic low back pain, fusion changes nothing at eleven years[7].
How long do I have to stay in Turkey?
The length of stay for spinal surgery in Turkey depends on the type of treatment carried out and the follow-up required. A major operation requires a long recovery phase. Only the surgeon sets the date for the flight home.
Which is the best country for spinal surgery?
Several countries operate on foreign spine patients: Spain, Hungary, Thailand, India and Turkey. No published study compares their outcomes, or compares them with the UK. The choice should be judged on the indication and on the follow-up arranged for the return home, not on a ranking of countries.
What results can be expected from spinal surgery in Turkey?
The result depends on the indication operated on, not on the country. After disc hernia surgery, the benefits gained do not deteriorate between the fourth and eighth year, in those operated on and those not[8].
How do I organise the trip to Turkey?
The trip requires the pre-operative work-up, the accommodation and the follow-up on return to be arranged in advance. Useful rehabilitation begins four to six weeks after the operation, so back in the UK, and is prepared before departure[3].
Does lumbar stenosis have to be operated on?
Decompression mainly improves pain, with no demonstrated benefit on function in the primary analysis[9]. Adding fusion to it brought nothing at two years or at five years, for a stay almost twice as long[10].
Sources & References
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management. NICE guideline NG59. 2016, revised 2020. View the source
- Haute Autorité de Santé. Lombalgie chronique de l’adulte et chirurgie. Recommandation de bonne pratique. 2015. View the source
- Oosterhuis T, Costa LOP, Maher CG, et al. Rehabilitation after lumbar disc surgery. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CD003007. 2014. View the source
- Zhou J, Wang R, Huo X, et al. Incidence of surgical site infection after spine surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Spine. 2020. View the source
- Alshameeri ZAF, Jasani V. Risk factors for accidental dural tears in spinal surgery. International Journal of Spine Surgery. 2021. View the source
- Peul WC, van Houwelingen HC, van den Hout WB, et al. Surgery versus prolonged conservative treatment for sciatica. New England Journal of Medicine. 2007. View the source
- Mannion AF, Brox JI, Fairbank JCT. Comparison of spinal fusion and nonoperative treatment in patients with chronic low back pain: long-term follow-up of three randomized controlled trials. The Spine Journal. 2013. View the source
- Lurie JD, Tosteson TD, Tosteson ANA, et al. Surgical versus nonoperative treatment for lumbar disc herniation: eight-year results for the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial. Spine. 2014. View the source
- Weinstein JN, Tosteson TD, Lurie JD, et al. Surgical versus nonsurgical therapy for lumbar spinal stenosis. New England Journal of Medicine. 2008. View the source
- Forsth P, Olafsson G, Carlsson T, et al. A randomized, controlled trial of fusion surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis. New England Journal of Medicine. 2016. View the source
