FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 23, 2004
Contact: Karen E. Warmkessel, kwarmkessel@umm.edu
Ellen Beth Levitt eblevitt@umm.edu 410-328-8919

LIVE WEBCAST AT UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MEDICAL CENTER WILL SHOWCASE SURGERY TO TREAT SPINAL STENOSIS

Orthopaedic surgeons to perform lumbar decompression and spinal fusion on Sept. 21, 2004

For More Information

Watch UM Spine Center surgeons Dan Gelb and Steven Ludwig perform a lumbar decompression and spinal fusion surgery for treating spinal stenosis on September 21. (Requires Real Player)

The University of Maryland Medical Center will present a live webcast of lumbar decompression and spinal fusion surgery on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2004. The surgery will be performed to treat spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal that puts pressure on nerves in the back, and a related condition involving slippage of the vertebrae known as spondylolisthesis. Both conditions cause pain and weakness in the lower back and legs, and many patients have difficulty in walking. The webcast will begin at 5:30 p.m.

Spinal stenosis and spondylolisthesis occur as people age because the ligaments around the spine thicken and the discs, or cushions, between the vertebrae start to deteriorate. Between 250,000 and 500,000 Americans over age 50 experience symptoms of spinal stenosis.

“Spinal stenosis is a common disability in the older population that is often unrecognized and undertreated,” says Daniel E. Gelb, M.D., co-director of the University of Maryland Spine Center and vice chairman and assistant professor of orthopaedics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “It gets in the way of people being able to live a normal life. Their legs feel heavy. They say, ‘I feel like I am walking in cement.’ They can’t stand at the sink to wash their dishes. They can’t walk a block without sitting down.”

Dr. Gelb will perform the lumbar decompression and spinal fusion surgery with Steven C. Ludwig, M.D., co-director of the University of Maryland Spine Center and an assistant professor of orthopaedics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Vincent D. Pellegrini, Jr., M.D., chief of orthopaedics at the University of Maryland Medical Center and professor and chairman of the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, will explain the procedure and provide background information during the Webcast.

In the lumbar decompression, or laminectomy, surgeons will remove bone and ligament from the spine to open the spinal canal and to relieve the pressure on the nerve roots caused by the stenosis. They will also perform spinal fusion surgery to correct the misalignment of the spine, or spondylolisthesis, which occurs when one vertebra slips forward onto the vertebra below it. The surgeons will stabilize the spine by using rods, screws and a bone graft to build a bridge between the two vertebrae. The rods and screws will hold the vertebrae together until the bones are fused, which can take up to 18 months.

“We have had excellent results from lumbar decompression and spinal fusion surgery,” Dr. Ludwig says. “It eliminates patients’ leg pain and greatly improves their quality of life and their ability to function.”

The surgery takes two and a half to three hours, and patients are typically in the hospital for three to five days. They receive physical therapy afterward and are usually able to resume normal activities three months after surgery, Dr. Ludwig says. “It’s a very standard, straight-forward procedure,” he says.

“The success rate in terms of relieving pain and improving function is close to 90 percent,” Dr. Gelb says.

The surgery is more successful in relieving pain in the legs than in the lower back. Patients who have had the surgery are typically in their late 60s and early 70s, but

people in their 40s and also in their 90s have benefited from the procedure, the surgeons say. Before opting to have surgery, most have tried more conservative treatment, such as anti-inflammatory medications and physical therapy.

The webcast will originate from the “Operating Room of the Future” at the University of Maryland Medical Center. The medical center opened the nation’s newest, most technologically advanced surgical facility in May 2003. Located in the medical center’s new 380,000-square-foot Weinberg Building, the surgical facility houses 19 operating rooms for adult and pediatric patients.

The operating rooms combine the most advanced video and other communications equipment with information technology in order to enhance patient safety and operational efficiency. More than 16,000 surgeries are performed at the medical center each year.

This surgical webcast has been approved for AMA PRA credit, which is sponsored by the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

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