Spinal Surgery
Experienced Team Provides Comprehensive Spinal Care
From relatively simple spinal disorders to major spinal deformities and tumors, the University of Virginia Health System’s spine surgeons provide comprehensive, individualized care for patients of all ages.
"We have one of the few centers that has a high level of expertise on the full spectrum of spinal care, from minimally invasive surgery to someone who may need a more invasive approach," says Mark Shaffrey, M.D., chair of UVA’s Department of Neurosurgery.
"We’re not fitting all patients into a single technique," adds Francis Shen, M.D., Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. "We have the unique ability to individualize specific surgical techniques to each patient’s needs."
UVA spine surgeons perform about 1,400 surgical procedures annually, says Chris Shaffrey, M.D., Professor of Neurosurgery and Co-Director of the Spine Center, and five UVA spinal surgeons – Chris Shaffrey, Mark Shaffrey, M.D., W. Jeffrey Elias, M.D., Richard Whitehill, M.D., and Mark F. Abel, M.D.– are ranked among the Best Doctors in America® by Best Doctors, Inc. Along with their extensive clinical experience, the spinal surgery team researches advances in spinal treatments and has published more than 1,000 peer-reviewed journal articles. Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Spine Center Co-Director Vincent Arlet, M.D., created Scolisoft, a web-based research tool to longitudinally follow adolescent scoliosis patient outcomes.
UVA is offering more minimally invasive spinal surgeries through several surgeons, including Elias, Shen, Aaron Dumont, M.D., and Justin Smith, M.D., Ph.D. Smith – fellowship trained in minimally invasive spinal surgery – says minimally invasive procedures are less destructive to patients because surgeons don’t need to strip muscle off the bone to access the surgery site. Instead, the muscles are dilated with small tubes to allow access; when the surgery is complete, the tubes are removed and the muscles fall back into place. Minimally invasive procedures also reduce tissue damage and blood loss while allowing patients to recover sooner, adds Shen, who teaches courses nationally on these procedures. For adult deformities, surgeons can perform open, complex reconstructions along with minimally invasive procedures, says Whitehill, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery.
UVA offers several leading-edge spinal procedures, including minimally invasive anterior approaches to the lumbar or cervical spine for artificial disc replacement. UVA is among the few hospitals in the state offering hybrid surgical techniques that combine minimally invasive and open surgical techniques, Shen says. Leading-edge technology available at UVA includes intraoperative guidance from 3-D imaging and robotic guidance in select cases to implant cages, screws and rods. UVA also has leading-edge spinal-cord and spinal-nerve monitoring during procedures. "The safety of our patient is our primary goal," says Abel.
UVA also offers comprehensive patient support services, including pain management and physical therapy.
To refer a patient for spinal surgery, call UVA Physician Direct at 800-552-3723.