Tampa General Hospital (TGH) is the first health system in the Tampa region to treat a range of spine diseases and conditions via minimally invasive endoscopic spine surgery. Patients at the academic health system’s TGH Neuroscience Institute experience same-day discharge, quicker recovery, minimal downtime and less pain.
The procedure involves the surgeon inserting the endoscope through a tiny incision about the size of a pencil tip to access an affected area. The device is then guided to the spine to capture video that’s projected onto a monitor. The surgeon can also insert miniature tools through the endoscope to help perform procedures to treat bone spurs, chronic pain, degenerative disc disease, facet joint syndrome, herniated discs, sciatic nerve compression and spinal stenosis.
According to Dr. Patrick Kim, an endoscopic spine surgeon at Tampa General, and an assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida, there are multiple benefits to this technique, including a nearly zero percent chance of wound infection. “The end result is smaller incisions, less tissue disruption and quicker patient recovery time after surgery,” he said.
Dr. Kim is the first fellowship-trained endoscopic surgeon in the Tampa region. He received his medical degree from LSU New Orleans and completed his residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Subsequently, he pursued a fellowship in endoscopic spine surgery at the University of Washington Harborview Medical Center.
Tampa General’s Spine Neurosurgery Program leverages a multidisciplinary team of physicians who specialize in the treatment and management of degenerative cervical and lumbar conditions and complex spinal deformities.
TGH Neuroscience Institute surgeons perform more minimally invasive spine surgeries than any other hospital in the region, including endoscopic laser spine surgeries, microdiscectomies, laminectomies, foraminotomies, and lumbar fusions.
Tampa General is a U.S. News & World Report 2024-2025 high performing hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery, meaning the academic health system is ranked among the top 10% of hospitals in the nation. Additionally, the TGH Neuroscience Institute is one of the top neurology and spine programs in the U.S., according to Becker’s Hospital Review’s 2023 list of “Hospitals and Health Systems with Spine and Neuroscience Programs to Know.”
Since 2020, Tampa General has been creating a framework of state-of-the-art services for patients in Palm Beach and Martin counties with the expertise and innovation of a preeminent academic health system. Patients treated by Tampa General East Coast physicians enjoy several benefits, including access to minimally invasive and complex surgeries that utilize state-of-the-art technologies.
For more information about the minimally invasive endoscopic spine surgery offered at Tampa General, visit TGH.org/MinimallyInvasiveSpineSurgery.
