Georgetown neurosurgeons join CMH Orthopedic & Spine Center

Minimally invasive spine surgery offers significant benefits

Four highly skilled neurosurgeons who are on the teaching faculty and active staff at Georgetown University Medical Center have joined the Orthopedic and Spine Center at Calvert Memorial Hospital. Their expertise in minimally invasive spine surgery offers new options for local residents who suffer from chronic back pain.

"We are pleased to welcome Drs. Guy Gargour, Faheem Sandhu, Andrea Douglas and Jean-Marc Voyadzis from the Potomac Neurosurgery group to Calvert Memorial Hospital," said CMH President and CEO Jim Xinis. "This exciting new relationship links Calvert Memorial Hospital and Georgetown University, providing our community with direct access to the resources and specialists at Georgetown, close to home in Calvert County."

For his part, Gargour said he was attracted to CMH because of its "progressive" leadership. While complex procedures requiring tertiary care will still need to be performed at Georgetown, he said, most minimally invasive spine procedures can be safely done at CMH.

"The spine procedures that we do at CMH," said Gargour, "are just as safe as having your gall bladder removed. Additionally, he said, even those patients whose surgery is performed at Georgetown will benefit from having their follow-up care at CMH.

Compared to traditional open back surgery, said Voyadzis, who serves as medical director for the neurosurgery program at CMH, minimally invasive spine surgery provides many advantages - less pain, quicker recovery, less scarring, less soft tissue damage and less blood loss during surgery. Patients also require much less anesthesia during minimally invasive procedures. In addition, hospital stays are dramatically shorter.

"With today's technology," he explained, "minimally invasive spine surgery, offers the same benefits as traditional spine surgery with much less trauma."

According to Voyadzis, minimally invasive spine surgery is used to treat a variety of spinal disorders and conditions, including back and neck pain, sciatica, herniated discs and spinal stenosis. It can also be effective for scoliosis, degenerative disc disease and spine fractures.

"These sophisticated techniques give us many more options to choose from," he said. "Many conditions can be approached in a minimally invasive way. It is much safer, even with patients who have had previous surgery and have scar tissue. "

"There has been a quantum leap in computer and imaging technology," said Gargour, "but equally important is the education and training of our team. " Gargour, who is CEO of Potomac Neurosurgery, has 35 years in neurosurgery and is board certified in neurological surgery and pain medicine. He is also an assistant professor at Georgetown.

The group also includes Sandhu who has completed over 300 minimally invasive procedures since completing his minimally invasive spine surgery fellowship at the University of Chicago. Dr. Richard Fessler, a world authority on the subject, directed him. He joined Potomac Neurosurgery in 2004. He is also board certified in neurological surgery. Currently he is a professor of neurosurgery and the director of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Georgetown.

Douglas joined the practice in 2006 and is an assistant professor in neurosurgery at Georgetown. She is a graduate of Harvard University and Columbia College of Physicians Surgeons. During her residency at New York University Medical Center, she trained under Dr. Patrick Kelly, one of the foremost brain tumor specialists and completed her fellowship training in spine surgery. Douglas has written chapters for neurosurgical texts and presented her research at the national and international level.

Voyadzis joined Potomac Neurosurgery in 2007. He graduated summa cum laude from the Georgetown University School of Medicine where he received the Kober Medal for the highest overall record of academic performance. He completed his fellowship with Dr. Richard Kessler in minimally invasive spine surgery at the University of Chicago. He is also an assistant professor in neurological surgery at Georgetown.

Through the use of digital radiography, the neurosurgeons are able to provide round-the-clock coverage for the emergency department at CMH. The new technology, implemented during the recent expansion, can electronically transmit images and scans to another location for review.

"This innovative system allows the neurosurgeons rapid access to the images in real time," said Dr. Kraig Melville, chief of emergency medical services at CMH. "This in turn helps expedite the diagnosis and enhance care."

Their offices will be located behind the outpatient concourse reception desk in the main hospital building in Prince Frederick. For more information, call 888-906-8773.

These physicians are complemented by the orthopedic and spine services already in place at CMH. These include the hospital's Pain Management Center, chiropractic and spinal rehabilitation services through Chesapeake Physical Medicine, physical therapy and interventional radiology such as balloon kyphoplasty, which is used to treat compression fractures of the spine.

In addition, Dr. Wayne Rozran, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who has been on the CMH active medical staff since 1986, will continue to see patients in his private practice in Prince Frederick. Rozran specializes in microsurgery of the spine.

Also on staff is Dr. Paul Griffith, III who has 23 years as a spine specialist. The board-certified orthopedic surgeon joined CMH in 1984 and is part of Calvert Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Center.

Pictured (l-r) are Drs. Andrea Douglas, Jean-Marc Voyadzis, Guy Gargour and Faheem Sandhu.

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