I’m a 77 year old retired physician. For 1 year I had severe sciatic pain radiating from my right lower back to my right lower leg. I couldn’t walk more than 50 feet before the pain became severe. Dr. Georgiy Brusovanik performed surgery at Doctors hospital in Coral Gables replacing all the disk in my lumbar spine because the degeneration was severe.Procedure was done in two stages.The surgery was very successful.My recovery each time was shorter than i expected.I am now able to walk my dogs up to 12 city blocks per day.I am very pleased with the care i received and feel that Dr. Brusovanik expertise and kind manor helped me to achieve the success i had.

Dr. Burton Silver, MD
Dermatologic Surgeon
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Cancer that migrates to bone or starts in bone can weaken that bone. When cancer grows in bone or invades bone, even minor trauma such as tripping while walking, may cause fractures and deformity. On the other hand, tumors may have an affect on other tissues purely because of their size and weight. Tumors make take up limited space such as in the spinal canal and they may cause symptoms related to compression of nerves and spinal cord. Patients may complain of loss of balance and problems with hand coordination if the spinal cord is being compressed. Spinal cord compression may progress to incontinence and paralysis. Nerve compression, on the other hand, may produce symptoms of pain or numbness in the distribution of the nerve that is being compressed, such as down one’s buttock, thigh or leg, or shoulder and arm. Finally, cancer may actually cause bone to disappear and that may lead to pain.

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Metastatic CancerIn most cases, spinal metastatic cancer is caused by cancer transferring to the vertebrae from somewhere else in the body. Over time, the spinal column collapses, causing deformity and constant pain.

Surgery for metastatic disease must be carefully planned and individualized. Minimally invasive techniques allow the new generation of spine surgeons to access parts of the spinal column that are in front of the spinal cord and that is the part that is frequently involved in metastatic disease. The new techniques reach the same goals as the time proven methods while minimizing damage to other important structures.

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Vertebral Body replacement
This surgical procedure replaces a severely diseased or damaged vertebra with a device designed to restore the spine’s proper height and alignment. The patient’s pain is relieved by eliminating pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots in the thoracic or lumbar spine.

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XLIF: Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion
Unlike traditional back surgery, XLIF is performed through the patient’s side. By entering this way, major muscles of the back are avoided. This minimally-invasive procedure is generally used to treat leg or back pain caused by degenerative disc disease. It can be performed on an outpatient basis..

It is important to minimize morbidity, especially in patients who’s immunity has been weakened by cancer. New surgical approaches allow patients with metastatic disease to decrease pain, and provide for faster recovery and return to life.

• Metastatic Spine Article 1 [ Download PDF ]

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