Daniel Eggart, MD, performed the first outpatient minimally invasive posterior cervical fusion at Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital in Murrells Inlet, S.C., South Strand News reports.
Here's what you should know:
1. Dr. Eggart performed the outpatient procedure twice now.
2. He is a spine surgeon who practices at Charleston-based Medical University of South Carolina's neurosciences team at Tidelands Health.
3. He said, "Chronic neck pain can be debilitating and prevent people from enjoying everyday activities. Minimally invasive posterior cervical fusion is another tool we can employ to help address that problem and allow people to return to normal activity levels." He cautioned that not all patients are candidates for the outpatient procedure, though.
4. He added, "Even if other procedures have failed, don't assume that you have to live with chronic neck pain. New tools and techniques may be able to help."