Carle Spine Institute

Carle Spine Institute | 610 North Lincoln Ave. Urbana, Illinois 61801 | Medical Advice Nurse 217-383-6555

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In The News

New Minimally Invasive Surgery Now Available at Carle Clinic

A new minimally invasive approach to spine surgery is now available at the Carle Spine Institute. Patients now have another option for lumbar spine surgery called AxiaLIF (Axial Lumbar Interbody Fusion). The devise is available from TransS1 that allows shorter recovery time and less tissue damage.

“Technological advances in spine surgery continue to give patients the benefit of shorter recovery times and less invasive approaches that reduce pain,” according to Robert Hurford, MD, PhD, an orthopedic spine surgeon at the Carle Spine Institute in Urbana, IL, who is performing the AxiaLIF procedure. Patients who may be candidates for this procedure are those with degenerative disc disease or spondylolisthesis.

The procedure was released and FDA approved in January 2005. Approximately 5000 surgeries have been performed in the US with a complication rate of 1 percent. The surgery takes about 70-90 minutes and can be done as an outpatient. The recovery is approximately 3 weeks compared to 3 months with a traditional lumbar fusion.

According to Dr. Hurford, each patient presents a unique set of circumstances. For each problem a variety of different surgical and non-surgical treatment options are available. Not everyone with back pain is a candidate for this procedure. We take into account factors such as age, medical risk, activity level, job, bone quality and imaging to tailor a treatment best suited for each patient.

Every year, 40-60 percent of adults suffer from chronic back pain and more than one million spine surgery procedures are performed annually in the US with medical costs approaching $24 billion per year. The AxiaLIF procedure is estimated to be less costly than open surgeries. The main savings are in the dramatic decrease in operating room time, length of hospital stay, less need for post-surgical pain medicine, and rapid rehabilitation. Select here to download a pdf of this press release.

Device used as an alternative to fusion surgery

Today, Tamara is pain free, thanks to a new procedure she underwent at Carle Spine Institute. An artificial disc was placed in her neck area to relieve the pain. In a cervical disc replacement surgery, a damaged disc is removed and replaced with an artificial one – a stainless steel device with a ball-in-trough design intended to help replicate normal neck movement. The procedure was performed by Dr. Robert Hurford, a Carle Spine surgeon. Select the image to the right or select here to read the full story as published by The News-Gazette.com on May 27, 2008 (new window will open).

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Carle Clinic Association and Carle Foundation Hospital are separate business corporations that work together to provide quality care and services to their patients. Carle Clinic Association and Carle Foundation Hospital contract with insurance providers separately and may or may not choose to participate in all of the same insurance plans. Patients are urged to check with their carriers as to whether services are covered for either or both organizations. Copyright © 2004, 2003, 2002 Carle Clinic Association and Carle Foundation Hospital.