Jeffrey Carlson, MD, spine surgeon at Newport News-based Coastal Virginia Surgery Center, has completed the region's first two-level cervical disc arthroplasty using Nuvasive's Simplify cervical disc implants.
The procedure was performed on a 50 year old woman with foraminal stenosis, degenerative disc disease and disc protrusion at levels C5-7 and a history of chronic pain, according to a May 23 press release.
The surgery lasted about two hours with just three hours of in-office recovery time, according to the release.
Dr. Carlson is a spine specialist, president and managing partner of the Orthopaedic & Spine Center in Newport News and is a pioneer in spinal surgery, disc replacement and instrumentation development.