New Member - Need Advice

[Belzinct]

Hi all, I have been lurking for a few weeks now and so thankful to see so many others navigating through this process as well.

October 2015 I woke up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain. An MRI later showed a scary neck with 2 herniated discs and spinal cord compression showing signal changes. I have never been in a car accident or had severe neck trauma. Just crazing skiing in my 20s with maybe a few not so pretty falls. Anyways, I have seen 6 orthopedic surgeons and a psychiatrist (who basically said I need to see a surgeon). 4 of the 6 surgeons said fusion. I finally found a doctor at HSS (supposedly the best orthopedic hospital in the country) who said he could do 1 level ADR and 1 level fusion but I know insurance doesn't cover that nor have their been studies done on a hybrid surgery. So the final doctor I went to (also at HSS) said he could do a 2 level ADR using the Mobi C, so I currently have surgery scheduled with him in a few weeks.

HOWEVER, I asked him how many he has done and he told me he has done 25 one-level ADRs and only 4 two-level ADRs. Now I am nervous. I am sure he is an excellent surgeon but from what I gather in reading this board, experience for this surgery is everything. It seems to me that there are only a handful of doctors who fall into this category… Bierstadt, Clavel, Zeeger, Laurynnsen…. I really can't believe people travel to such lengths for this surgery, but I am in the dark.

I have called LDR but they can't tell me how many Mobi C discs they have provided the doctors, and doctors don't seem to be so forthcoming as to how many they have done. So here are my questions: (1) Do you think that the number of ADRs a doctor has performed is crucial for this surgery, and (2) does anyone know of any doctors in the Northeast who regularly conducts ADRs or who were involved in the Mobi C clinical trials? I am pursuing Laurynnsen who is now in TX however, I have 3 small kids and for me to travel anywhere for surgery is going to be very difficult for me to schedule.

Oh, btw, I am in no pain. With as nasty my neck looks on the images, I have very little physical symptoms… my upper back/neck feels tired/strained, and slight weakness/numbness in my left arm. However, I am too scared to do any of my activities … running, biking, skiing so basically not living my life. I want to schedule this surgery and move on.

Thanks for any input. I really appreciate it!

[Romakis]

It is absolutely logical to assume that the more successful surgeries the doctor has got under his belt, the higher the chances are your surgery with him/her would be successful as well. I also suspect that leading ADR surgeons develop unique techniques and specialized tools over the years to get the surgery done better, faster, cleaner, and more successful.

[annapurna]

When ADR was first starting, the benchmark was a minimum of 100 surgeries before you'd feel relatively comfortable with the surgeon. As the number came from discussions with the trial surgeons, I tend to put more weight in it. I'd imagine that the years since then have made it easier to come up to speed but I'd think 25 is too few and 4 multi-levels is just way too risky.