? Dr. Balderson-Philadelphia-Anyone have experience with him?

[Chad]

Is anyone familiar with Dr. Balderston of Booth Bartolozzi Balderston Orthopaedics in Philadelphia. I decided against the lateral approach XL TDR (too many risks with metal on metal) and plan to go with an anterior approach and he is 45 minutes away from me.

Questions I'm curious about is 1) how many has he done, 2) for how long, and 3) if anyone has has an ADR done there (Mine will likely be 1 level l4/l5). The other option I have is to travel 3 hours to Dr. McAfee in Maryland, who I've learned is excellent.

Thanks in advance
-Chad

[Harrison]

Chad, there are quite a few patients who have had each of these doctors. If you've not already searched through these forums with the search function above, you'll find quite a few relevant posts. This community mostly transitional, as people come for decision/post-op support.

If you don't get the responses you need, I recommend finding some relevant posts and sending private messages to the people in the posts. Let me know if I can help!

[Chad]

Much appreciated.

[Harrison]

Chad, as you may have found, there are appr. 56 references to Dr. Balderston. BTW, what are your concerns about metal-on-metal? I personally don't like this design, but it's only my opinion. We've been arguing the pros and cons of this design for six years now!

In case you've not seen some of the past topics on wear debris, which includes Metal on Metal:

http://www.adrsupport.org/forums/f49...r-debris-6280/

[Chad]

There were a few concerns. . .

The recent recall in joint products from DePuy (getting a lot of press), sorting through some literature regarding problems with metal-on-metal (some of which you've posted), and the surgeons "concerns" about a metal on metal design (relayed to me by his PA) led me to believe that it wasn't worth the risk.

Even though I believe that the lateral procedure is enticing because it reportedly has a quicker recovery (and the potential for future anterior surgery if needed), I'm fearing an iatrogenic effect of a metal-on-metal disc.

So. . . this week, I plan to send my CT and MRI to Balderston and then Mcafee to see what their thoughts are. Fingers crossed. The pain is pretty unbearable and I have yet to hold my 9 month old son.

-Chad

[Harrison]

Chad,

As you may already know, the joint "kinematics" for the spine is very different from that of any other joint; especially the hip. All I am saying is that the wear conditions are very different in the spine.

That said, I still have the same concerns I expressed earlier...

[kennethhoff]

Chad -

When I lived in NJ, I considered Dr Balderston at U. of Penn. ADR was still young and I decided to wait. But from my understanding of my own research back then, forum talk, and other research, Dr. Balderston is considering an excellent top doctor with ADR. He is Chief of Spine surgery at U of Penn (one of the top hospitals in U.S.), and even from his web page this is listed:

- Recognized in Philadelphia Magazine's May 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009,
2010 Top Docs issue
- Recognized by Best Doctors in America 2003-2004, 2005-2006, 2007-2008, 2009-2010
- Recognized by America's Top Doctors, 2007, 2008, 2010

If I lived back in NJ, I would either go to him, Dr Yue at Yale, or maybe look at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NY. But I think your not going in a wrong direction when talking about Dr. Balderston. If allowed to post it, his website link is:
Richard A. Balderston, MD

Hope that helps.
-Ken

Originally Posted by Chad

Is anyone familiar with Dr. Balderston of Booth Bartolozzi Balderston Orthopaedics in Philadelphia. I decided against the lateral approach XL TDR (too many risks with metal on metal) and plan to go with an anterior approach and he is 45 minutes away from me.

Questions I'm curious about is 1) how many has he done, 2) for how long, and 3) if anyone has has an ADR done there (Mine will likely be 1 level l4/l5). The other option I have is to travel 3 hours to Dr. McAfee in Maryland, who I've learned is excellent.

Thanks in advance
-Chad

[Chad]

I appreciate the feedback. I went for my evaluation with Dr. Balderston and found him to be both nice and receptive to all of my questions.

Pending a discogram, I will hopefully continue to be a candidate for the procedure. Must say I'm not looking forward to it as as I understand that it can be very painful. Anyone know how long the recovery time typically is?

-chad