News Seton Spine & Scoliosis Surgeon Performs First Longitude Scoliosis Correction Procedure in Central Texas

Less-invasive treatment offers new option for complex spinal surgery

Austin, TX - (July 7, 2010) - Seton Spine and Scoliosis surgeon, Dr. Matthew Geck performed the first scoliosis correction procedure in Central Texas using the CD Horizon Longitude Multi-Level Percutaneous Fixation System™on a 19-year-old Austin woman.

The new scoliosis correction procedure has many benefits over traditional surgery. Traditional surgery requires a long incision and the stripping of muscle off the bone.

With the newer procedure, percutaneous screws are placed through two or three tiny incisions, typically four to five centimeters in length. It spares muscle surrounding the spine, allowing for a faster recovery and less post-operative pain.

Using special imaging, Dr. Geck then connected rods to the screws to complete the curvature correction.

"My patients are leaving the hospital in two to four days after their procedure. Traditional surgery would often require up to a week-long hospital stay," explains Dr. Geck.

About one to four percent of the U.S. population suffers from scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine that can first appear during childhood. Some people are born with it, while others develop it over time. Scoliosis can cause the spine to twist and bend in an abnormal way.

Over time, a person's curvature can significantly increase, causing injury to surrounding organs and can even cause problems with breathing.

This revolutionary procedure is appropriate for a broad range of scoliosis patients, including those in their teens to adults well into their 40s.

"With the new technologies and minimally invasive procedures, patients no longer have months of recuperation. We're achieving the same results through shorter, safer procedures,"says Dr. Geck.

Dr. Geck recently traveled to Cali, Colombia with the global outreach program, SpineHope, where he performed the newer, minimally invasive spine correction procedure.

Dr. Geck is a board certified, pediatric and adult fellowship trained spine surgeon who has a practice focused exclusively on spine and scoliosis surgery. For the past 10 years his Austin-based practice has focused almost exclusively on spine and scoliosis surgery, and since 2003 has become the largest spinal deformity practice in central Texas treating adult and pediatric scoliosis, kyphosis and other complex spinal problems.