Dr. Georgios Dimogerontas at work
How to select a spine surgeon
Are you in pain and have you started to consider spine surgery in order to feel relief but you are afraid of the complications? Surgery is usually chosen by patients who have tried several conservative treatments with no big success.
Misdiagnosis is the main reason why these operations fail. The right spine surgeon increases the possibility of the correct diagnosis and, therefore, the successful operation. Therefore, in order to find a good spine surgeon, you need to take the following parameters under consideration:
1. This kind of surgery is usually based on the patient’s decision and it is rarely the only solution. Only you know how much you suffer and the decision to proceed with surgery is exclusively yours.
The neurosurgeon (spine surgeon) needs to inform you about your options, the complexity, and any risks and benefits associated with the operation. Consequently, it is rather important to find a surgeon who will give you the information you need and will help you decide.
2. Patients frequently wonder whether they need a neurosurgeon or an orthopedic for the operation. Even though these specialties focus on different parts of medicine, both of them are specialized in this kind of operation.
3. A parameter of paramount importance is the neurosurgeon’s or the orthopedic’s experience in the specific operation. To find out how experienced the spine surgeon is, you can simply ask them the following questions:
– How many times have they performed the specific operation? The more times they have performed the operation, the more experience they have. However, if the doctor recommends a complicated operation that is not performed frequently, then it is reasonable and expected that they haven’t performed it many times.
– What is their personal success rate for the specific operation?
In case the doctor hesitates to answer these questions, you may need to visit another doctor. The experienced spine surgeon is well-trained and does not feel intimidated by these kinds of questions. On the contrary, they respect your interest in learning more.
