News Room
Surgeon at St. Mary's of Michigan hospital uses innovative techniques to reduce back pain
by Jill Armentrout | The Saginaw News
Surgeons at St. Mary's of Michigan hospital in Saginaw are leading innovations to ease consistent back pain.
Surgeons such as Dr. Gerald R. Schell, cq a Saginaw Township neurosurgeon, use new techniques to restore the proper spacing between bones and fuse the spine into position -- all without large incisions.
Patients also can leave the hospital in as little as a day and return to work within weeks.
An estimated 75 to 85 percent of Americans will experience back pain; of 50 percent who have lower back pain, it recurs, the Web site nuerosurgerytoday.org says.
Lower back pain commonly happens when the fluid-filled cushioning discs between vertebrae collapse and the bones pinch nerves.
The minimally invasive surgery accesses the disc space through a 2-centimeter incision just above the tailbone.
Today, Schell plans to perform surgery at St. Mary's that will use this technique on two levels of the spine. He's among the first doctors in the country to do this operation, he said.
Traditional surgeries require through incisions of 6 inches or more with access through the abdomen or back. They can take several hours to complete and require hospital stays of up to five days, then months of recovery.
Since July, Schell has performed more than 100 minimally invasive surgeries to fix disc problems at the last lumbar segment where the spine joins the tailbone. He uses a titanium screw to hold open the space and strengthen the spine.
"This surgery expands the realm of treatment," Schell said. "Eighty percent of patients with back pain have weakness in this location or the next level up."
The procedure is called AxiaLIF -- or Axial Lumbar Interbody Fusion -- using a system made by the Trans1 company based in Wilmington, N.C. They refer to the multi-level surgery as Trans2. It uses two screws joined together.
"The angle has to be perfectly placed through the tailbone and then up through the disc space into the other disc, using X-ray image guidance," Schell said.
The federal Food and Drug Administration approved the first procedure in 2005, and doctors have performed more than 3,000.
Officials announced the second level approval in April. The Trans1 company chose four surgeons to perform the first procedures, including Schell at St. Mary's, and the others at hospitals in Cincinnati, Ohio, Miami and the University of California-Los Angeles.
"The company looked at who was doing the most surgeries and had the best track record. We've had no complications.
"We have at least 10 patients waiting for the Trans2."
In 90 percent of his cases, patients have their back pain solved, Schell said. The 10 percent still having pain may still see that reduced as their spines continue to stabilize for a year after surgery, he said.
Those who aren't candidates have softer spines from osteoporosis and couldn't handle the metal screws, he said.
The next step is minimally invasive surgeries to implant artificial discs using the tailbone access, Schell said.
"These can become outpatient surgeries and alternatives to fusions. We at St. Mary's will be part of a study in this in about four months. The future of spinal surgery is here."
Schell also said he is working with Central Michigan University to arrange an international seminar on minimally invasive spine surgery at the university, possibly in May 2009.
"We can create enthusiasm for health care and neurosurgery here."
- In The News
- St. Mary's of Michigan neurosurgeon Gerald Schell is performing minimally-invasive spinal fusion surgeries that require just two tiny incisions.
Watch the video from the operating room. 
U-clamp, screws keep man's head on his body
View Article- High-Tech Back Surgery Gets Fallen Trapeze Artist Up And Walking
View Article