Patient Testimonials
Patient 1
A 47 year-old male came to see Dr. El-Kadi with complaints of gradually worsening lower back pain, with lower extremity pain and tingling. His pain worsened with coughing and sneezing, and he was starting to have difficulty with urination. On examination, he was found to have weakness in his right great toe and also atrophy of his calf muscle. He also had poor balance when he walked. Dr. El-Kadi reviewed his lumbar spine MRI and found a large intradural tumor extending from the middle of the L1 vertebral body to L2. He also had spondylolisthesis of L5 on S1. Dr. El-Kadi explained to the patient that the tumor should be addressed first. He discussed with the patient the treatment options, and surgery was scheduled for removal of the large tumor.
This MRI shows the large tumor from a sagittal, or side view.
This MRI shows the large tumor from an axial, or top down view. It is highlighted in red.
The following clip was taken from the operative microscope, as Dr. El-Kadi is removing this large intradural spinal tumor. First, you will see the dural sac and then the dissection of the tumor away from the nerve roots. Then, you will see the large tumor being removed from its attachments to the nerves. As it is taken out, you can see the large measurements. Then the dural sac is closed.
The pathology report from this tumor revealed it to be a schwannoma, which is a benign tumor. He required no additional treatment for this tumor.
The patient’s postoperative MRI showed no evidence of residual tumor.
This patient did extremely well. At his first postoperative visit, 14 days after surgery, he was 80% improved from his preoperative symptoms. The atrophy of his right calf muscles persisted. However, his lower back spasms had improved and his leg pain had resolved. At 2 months postoperative, all of his symptoms before surgery completely resolved. He returned to work about 2 months after his surgery, without restrictions.
The following video will show Dr. El-Kadi removing a similar tumor from the spine. It is a live video taken during surgery.
B.G.
B.G. is a 66-year-old woman who came to see Dr. El-Kadi on April 9, 2009 in a wheelchair. B.G. had noticed that over the past one month, she began to have numbness in her legs and difficulty walking. She started using a walker for support, and over a one month time, progressed to needing a wheelchair to get around. She was also noticing occasional numbness in her hands and lower back pain. Initially, B.G. was sure that her symptoms were coming from her lower back. However, when Dr. El-Kadi asked B.G. to stand and walk, she recalls that Dr. El-Kadi looked at her and told her that more likely her symptoms were originating from her cervical spine and not her lower back. He ordered MRI studies of her cervical spine, and she returned to see him for the results. B.G. was surprised to learn that she had severe cervical stenosis which was causing pressure on her spinal cord. Dr. El-Kadi recommended surgery to give her spine the best chance to recover.
B.G. underwent a C3 through C7 anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with plating on May 5, 2009. She recalls that after the surgery, when she went to her room, she sat up to place her feet on the floor. She was pleased to find that she already could feel her feet better than before the surgery. That same day, she asked a nurse to help her stand with the walker. She found that she was actually able to walk in the hallways of the hospital with the walker. She continued to walk with physical therapy while in the hospital, and was discharged home 2 days after her operation.
B.G. is home, continuing to recover. She is getting ready to start outpatient therapy to improve her strength and walking. B.G. is pleased to report that she no longer needs her wheelchair. She is able to walk in her home without the use of her wheelchair or her walker. She takes her walker if she goes outside, for safety. She no longer has the pain that she had prior to surgery and has had resolution of the numbness in her hands. She continues with some numbness left in her right foot, but this continues to improve. She has had an excellent recovery and was willing to share some of her story in order to encourage others.
The first postoperative xray shows the ACDF with plating for BG.
K.M.
K. M. is a 60-year-old female who presented to see Dr. El-Kadi with severe left buttock and lower extremity pain. She had severe pain in the morning with muscle spasms. She had been taking medications without improvement. She had also been to a chiropractor and physical therapy without relief. Her MRI is shown below.
This MRI is taken from a sagittal, or side, view. You can see at the red arrow where the spinal column is narrowed.
Compare these two MRI films from the same patient. The upper scan is from a region is the lumbar spine without any narrowing or stenosis. The rounded area for the spine and nerves is clearly visible. Now look at the bottom view. The rounded white area for the spinal column is barely visible.
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K. M. also had preoperative xrays taken.
Notice on this lateral x-ray the red lines. The two vertebral bodies are slipped, one in relationship to another.
Dr. El-Kadi discussed surgical treatment options with the patient, and she underwent a lumbar laminectomy with fusion. At 3 ½ months postoperative, she was 100% improved compared with her preoperative symptoms. She had some numbness that persisted at the top of her left foot, but denied any of the pain that she had before surgery. She went back to work as a school teacher and did very well. Her postoperative x-rays are shown below.
If you compare this x-ray to the previous one, the slipped vertebrae are now in good alignment.