USF neurosurgeons Dr. Fernando Vale, left, and Juan Uribe perform minimally-disruptive spine surgery at Tampa General Hospital.

USF Health neurosurgeons at Tampa General Hospital are performing a new minimally disruptive spinal fusion surgery to provide relief to patients suffering from back pain. Dr. Juan Uribe, Dr. Fernando Vale and Dr. Donald Smith are among the first in the region to perform this procedure, called XLIF® (eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion).

An estimated 10 million adults suffer from chronic back pain annually, a condition that can limit their activities. Until recently, adults with back pain have undergone traditional or “open” spine surgery, requiring weeks or months of recovery.

The XLIF surgical procedure employs NuVasive®’s minimally-disruptive instrumentation. This technology allows surgeons to perform a wide range of conventional spine procedures through a minimally invasive approach that causes less musculature disruption and enables faster recovery. Additionally, surgeons can perform surgical procedures using instruments that are similar to those used in conventional procedures, but through significantly smaller incisions.

“This surgical procedure offers a safe and effective, less invasive alternative to traditional or open spine surgery,” said Dr. Uribe, assistant professor of neurosurgery at USF Health. “This approach provides greater access to the spine, better visualization during surgery, less tissue disruption and blood loss, and faster patient recovery times. Another benefit is that patients are often walking within a few days, with a typical four to six-week recovery, rather than the six-plus months of recovery following traditional back surgery. And the best part is that they are no longer suffering from back and leg pain. It is a win-win approach for all -- the patient, surgeon and hospital.”

NuVasive’s MaXcess® surgical retractor allows the surgeon maximum access with minimal disruption of surrounding tissue, while the NeuroVision® JJB system uses electromyography, or EMG, to enable the surgeon to avoid nerves during spine surgery.

The USF neurosurgeon’s offices are at the USF Health South Tampa Center for Advanced Healthcare, 2A Columbia Drive in Tampa, FL 33606. They can be reached at (813) 259-0965.

- Story by Ellen Fiss/Tampa General Hospital
- Photos by Hugh Jones/TGH Photography