Dr. Salvatore Zavarella

Today's post is an interesting video of an advanced brain mapping procedure I performed back in 2015. #spinesurgeon #neurosurgeon #backpain #neckpain #doctor #surgery #huntingtonny #plainviewny #holbrookny #longislandny #drzavarella #surgeonlife Good Samaritan Hospital Please call us to make an appointment:... 833-SPINE-33 (833-774-6333) See more

Back to last summer when I was getting ready for another day in the OR. #surgeonlife #scrubsselfieGood Samaritan Hospital #spinesurgeon #neurosurgeon #backpain #neckpain #doctor #surgery #huntingtonny #plainviewny #holbrookny #longislandny #drzavarella... Please call us to make an appointment: 833-SPINE-33 (833-774-6333)

New Case Study: Male patient in his mid-60s who presented in the office with severe neck pain, ataxic gait, difficulty opening door knobs and jars, was dropping objects, had trouble with balance, numbness in his hands and legs and dexterity problems with his hands. A CAT scan revealed severe disc osteophyte (bone spur) complexes at the C3-4, C4-5 and C5-6 level with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament. Surgery was recommended and we performed a hybrid anterior... approach with a 2-level corpectomy (a surgical procedure that involves removing all or part of the vertebral body, usually as a way to decompress the spinal cord and nerves), 1-level ACDF with plating and a C2-T2 posterior decompression instrumentation and fusion for cervical spondolytic myelopathy (a neck condition that arises when the spinal cord becomes compressedor squeezeddue to the wear-and-tear changes that occur in the spine as we age). Post surgery, the patient maintained motion because he had good mobility at C0-C1 and C1-C2 joints that weren’t fused. He returned to normal activities with no restriction. Important fact: In this case, the pre-op CAT-scan gives better representation of the osteophytes than an MRI. #spinesurgeon #neurosurgeon #backpain #neckpain #doctor #surgery #huntingtonny #plainviewny #holbrookny #longislandny #drzavarella Please call us to make an appointment: 833-SPINE-33 (833-774-6333)

Feedback from my patients is what keeps me going! Please call us at 833-773-6333 to schedule a consultation. #spinesurgeon #neurosurgeon #backpain #neckpain #doctor #surgery #huntingtonny #plainviewny #holbrookny #longislandny #drzavarella #spinecare SpineCare Long Island

In this video, Dr. Zavarella discusses the diagnosis and treatment of Sacroiliac Joint (SI Joint) Dysfunction. Dr. Zavarella emphasizes his approach of non-surgical treatment first, before moving forward with corrective surgery, using the SI-BONE implant system. To find out more, please visit www.drsalvatorezavarella.com or www.spinecarelongisland.com #spinesurgeon #neurosurgeon #backpain #neckpain #doctor #surgery #huntingtonny #plainviewny #holbrookny #longislandny #drzavarella Please call us to make an appointment: 833-774-6333

New Case Study: Female patient in her early 50s who was involved in a car accident. As a result, she developed severe, radiating pain in her right arm with significant dysesthesias (abnormal sensation like burning, prickling or aching) through her triceps. She had substantial deterioration in activities of daily living and job function. She presented in my office with severe numbness in her right arm and into her hand and her triceps strength was 2 out of 5. Anti-inflammatory... and pain medication did not bring any relief. Imaging showed a very large right-sided disc herniation at C5-6 and C6-7 with severe compression of exiting nerve roots at C6-7 and reversal of the cervical lordosis. We performed a C5-6 and C6-7 ACDF (Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion, a type of neck surgery that involves removing a damaged disc to relieve spinal cord or nerve root pressure and alleviate corresponding pain, weakness, numbness, and tingling). The patient was doing very well post surgery and returned to work within one month. #acdf #caraccident #patientsfirst #spinesurgeon #neurosurgeon #backpain #neckpain #doctor #surgery #huntingtonny #plainviewny #holbrookny #longislandny #drzavarella Please call us to make an appointment: 833-SPINE-33 (833-774-6333)

New Case Study: Female patient in her mid-50s with severe scoliosis, double lumbar curve (one in the lower lumbar segment, one in the thoracal-lumbar segment) and deterioration of daily living and job function. She had been in pain management for 5+ years with no improvement of pain. The patient had seen several spine surgeons prior to coming to me. Other surgeons recommended against surgery because of the difficulty and complexity of the case. After seeing the patient, eval...uating imaging and calculating all angles, I performed the following in one 5-hour setting: Minimally-invasive lateral XLIF from L2-L5 on the left side, multiple posterior column osteotomies to allow for correction of the coronal curve. De-rotation and compression-distraction to align and balance the spine sagittally and coronally, an L5-S1 PLIF and T10 to pelvis instrumentation for correction of the significant scoliosis. The patient underwent the five hour procedure (including plastic-surgical reconstruction) with minimal blood loss (less than 500cc) and no transfusion and stayed in the hospital for only five days. Patient was off all pain medication within six weeks. The importance of this case is taking into consideration both coronal curves as well as the sagittal profile when performing a correction of this magnitude. These are fixed curves due to the severity of the degenerative segments and all need to be addressed surgically for an optimal result. This patient avoided a 3-column osteotomy and significant blood loss by chosing the more minimally invasive XLIF procedure. #spinesurgeon #neurosurgeon #backpain #neckpain #doctor #surgery #huntingtonny #plainviewny #holbrookny #longislandny #drzavarella Please call us to make an appointment: 833-774-6333

New Case Study: This patient was seen by Dr. Zavarella during a missionary trip to the Dominican Republic with the World Spine Organization and the Butterfly Foundation, organizations that bring state-of-the-art spine surgery to underserved areas of the country. 12-year-old male patient with Lenke 5 scoliosis. De-rotation from the convexity is important in these cases to correct the coronal curve but also the rotation. The patient was from a very poor part of the Dominica...n Republic and traveled four hours to come and be selected for the surgery. He was hospitalized for three days and followed by the local surgeons. Due to limited access to pain medication in the Dominican Republic, he was only given Tylenol post-op, something that shows just how resilient children in this part of the world are and have to be. The patient was seen one year later with no pain and able to go to school. He will be able to have a normal job without restrictions. __________________________________ #spinesurgeon #neurosurgeon #backpain #neckpain #doctor #surgery #huntingtonny #plainviewny #holbrookny #longislandny #drzavarella Please call us to make an appointment: 833-774-6333 See more

The smile on my patient's face has left an everlasting mark on me - it is what keeps me going, fighting, every day. Treating every patient with compassion and respect is my number one priority. #patientsfirst #respect #compassion #spinesurgeon #neurosurgeon #backpain #neckpain #doctor #surgery #huntingtonny #plainviewny #holbrookny #longislandny #drzavarella ... Please call us to make an appointment: 833-SPINE-33 (833-774-6333)

New Case Study: 20-year-old male patient with congenital scoliosis and hemi vertebrae who had been suffering from back pain for several years. Dr. Zavarella performed an asymmetric pedicle subtraction osteotomy, hemi vertebrectomy and T11 to L3 instrumentation for correction of the congenital lumbar scoliosis. The difference between the pre- and post-op images show how significant the changes for the patient’s spine were. He is now pain free. ______________________________... #spinesurgeon #neurosurgeon #backpain #neckpain #doctor #surgery #huntingtonny #plainviewny #holbrookny #longislandny #drzavarella Please call us to make an appointment: 833-774-6333

New Case Study: The following case study is an excellent example of how much pre-op planning goes into each surgery Dr. Zavarella performs: 64-year-old male with long standing history of anterior listing posture. The patient was hunched over for years, could not stand straight or look directly ahead, suffered from severe back pain and was unable to work. Patient suffered from severely compensated flatback with lumbar kyphosis, thoracic lordosis and cervical kyphosis. During ...a first procedure, the cervical spinal cord compression the patient experienced was alleviated. The second, more complex, surgery involved an L2-L5 XLIF (extreme lateral interbody fusion), a minimally invasive procedure performed through the side of the body to treat spinal disorders, as well as a T2 to pelvis instrumentation and posterior osteotomies to ultimately restore the patient’s lumbar lordosis and thoracic kyphosis. This case emphasizes the importance of pre-operative planning. It is not only about the surgery itself but, like shown here, about measuring all angles of the patient’s spine to ensure optimal outcome and restoration of curvature. Three months post-op, this patient was off all pain medication, no longer experienced back pain and was able to stand straight up and look towards the horizon. #spinesurgeon #neurosurgeon #backpain #neckpain #doctor #surgery #huntingtonny #plainviewny #holbrookny #longislandny #drzavarella Please call us to make an appointment: 833-774-6333

61 year old male. 2 years prior had surgery by another surgeon in Manhattan. Over 2 years had progressively worsening symptoms due to Sagittal and coronal imbalance. He was only able to stand for 10 minutes and could only walk 1 block. He was on continual pain medication since first surgery. Underwent revision and reconstruction with t2-pelvis correction and posterior column osteotomies. Pt was off all pain medication in 2 months. And has been able to ambulate and perform ac...tivities of daily living that he previously was unable to do. Due to operative protocols and techniques he did not need a transfusion post op. Hospital stay was 5 days. He went to rehab for a week and then home. #spinesurgeon #neurosurgeon #backpain #neckpain #doctor #surgery #huntingtonny #plainviewny #holbrookny #longislandny #drzavarella Please call us to make an appointment: 833-774-6333