The patient has right-sided low back pain and right L5 radiculopathy consistent with imaging studies showing a L4-5 disc herniation with annular tear and RL neuroforaminal stenosis. He has completed physical therapy as well as two ESI's which provided mild temporary relief but then the pains are persistent.
Diagnosis:
Right L4-5 Herniated Nucleus Pulpous
Operation:
Right L4-5 Laser Endoscopic Transforaminal Discectomy - LESS Procedure
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Dr. Choll Kim graduated cum laude from Harvard Medical School and completed his fellowship training in complex spine surgery at the Mayo Clinic. He is double board certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgeons and the American Board of Spine Surgery.
Dr. Kim is an internationally recognized expert in the field of computer-assisted minimally invasive spine surgery. He has trained and continues to train other spine throughout the world on the safe and effective application of state-of-the-art techniques using image guidance and navigation technologies.
Dr. Kim utilizes a broad range of minimally invasive treatments to effectively treat spinal disorders from the cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral spine, including herniated disks, spinal stenosis, and spondylolisthesis. He is one of only a handful of surgeons in the world to master laser endoscopic spine surgery (LESS), a “bandaid” minimally invasive procedure that effectively treats herniated disks and annular tears that cause back pain, radiculopathy, sciatica, and genitopelvic dysesthesia. The LESS procedure is performed in a same day setting, with a small stab incision that is covered with a bandaid.
A leader in his field, he is the founder and past-president of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (SMISS), the founder of Minimally Invasive Spine Centers of Excellence (MIS-COE), the past-chair of the MIS Committee for the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS), the director of the Advanced Spine & Joint Institute at Alvarado Hospital and an associate clinical professor at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Kim is an active member of numerous organizations including the North American Spine Society (NASS), the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS), the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), and the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS). Dr. Kim has over 200 publications and presentations.