Our spine surgeon works with patients to identify the cause of neck or back pain and create an individualized treatment plan. We specialize in cervical spine procedures to treat neck issues, including:

  • Non-fusion procedures:
    • Artificial disc replacement
    • Posterior cervical laminoplasty
    • Posterior laminoforaminotomy
  • Anterior cervical fusion
  • Posterior cervical fusion
  • Revision surgery

Our spine surgeon also perform lumbar spine procedures to treat lower back conditions, including:

  • Non-fusion procedures:
  • Foraminotomy
  • Microdiscectomy
  • Anterior, lateral, and posterior lumbar fusions
  • Minimally invasive decompression
  • Revision surgery

What is Minimally Invasive Surgery?

Minimally invasive surgery describes more than just my surgical techniques, it is Dr Barkoh’s treatment philosophy; achieving the treatment goal with the least collateral damage. The least invasive treatment is non-operative. As such, I exhaust all nonsurgical treatments prior to proceeding to surgical options. When surgery is indicated, I utilize minimally invasive techniques to achieve the treatment goal.

More than Meets the Eye

While many minimally invasive procedures are performed through one or multiple small incisions, the size of the skin incision is not what makes a procedure minimally invasive. The most important part is what happens underneath the skin. In open, non-minimally invasive spine surgeries, typically a midline incision is made and the dissection is extended down to the bone.

Then all the muscles and soft tissue are stripped off the bone to allow the surgeon to perform the critical portions of the case (decompression, fusion, etc). In minimally invasive surgery, special dilators and retractors are used to spread in between the muscles rather than strip them off the bone. This difference causes less bleeding and postoperative pain.

So, while some minimally invasive procedures use multiple small incisions that might add up to be the same length of an open spine procedure incision, what really matters is what happens below the skin.

What are the benefits?

The medical literature has consistently shown that minimally invasive spine surgery results in less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, decreased post-operative pain, and decreased narcotic use. I am excited to provide these techniques as a treatment option to my patients.