Surgeons at Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center now offer an advanced spinal fusion procedure that helps relieve painful and debilitating symptoms in some patients who have spinal injuries, degenerative spine conditions, abnormal curvatures of the spine or other spine problems.

More than a quarter of a million spinal fusion procedures are performed in the United States each year. Traditional procedures involve transplanting bone chips from the pelvis into the spine to stimulate the growth of new bones and placing supports, such as rods or screws, into the spine.

"Conventional spinal fusion procedures can be very painful, and they don't always produce reliable results," says Hugh Bassewitz, MD, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in spinal fusion at Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center. "Finding a way to achieve successful fusion without harvesting bone graft from the pelvis has been the Holy Grail of spine surgery."

Now, surgeons at Desert Springs Hospital use a new genetically produced substance, called bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), to stimulate bone growth and aid in spinal fusion. Instead of opening the pelvis and removing pieces of bone, they inject BMP into the area to be fused and use rods and screws to immobilize the spine while the fusion progresses.

"We are seeing excellent results with fewer complications and higher patient satisfaction," says Bassewitz. Gradually, BMP causes bone in the affected area to grow and fuse into one piece.

"BMP is a much more effective way to encourage bone growth," says Bill Smith, MD, a neurosurgeon at Desert Springs Hospital who specializes in the use of BMP. "This procedure eliminates the need for bone transplants so patients experience far less pain, have shorter hospital stays and are able to resume their normal lifestyles more quickly."

To make an appointment with Dr. Bassewitz or Dr. Smith, call Direct Doctors^SM Plus at 388-4888.

For more information about common spine problems, visit www.desertspringshospital.net and click on Health Information in the left column. Under Look It Up on the left side of the next page, click Common Complaints and scroll down to Back Pain.

The Valley Health System c/o Valley Hospital Medical Center 620 Shadow Lane Las Vegas, NV 89106