News Room - Press Releases

News Release
For Immediate Release
For more information, contact:
Lynne Zultanky, Manager
Corporate Communications and Public Relations
Bon Secours Hampton Roads
Office:  757-889-5413; pager:  757-473-7904

Norfolk, Va. (April 13, 2006) – Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center will hold a program on May 23, 2006, on spinal stenosis presented by Dr. Grant A. Skidmore, the first neurosurgeon on the East Coast and second in the nation to perform the lumbar spinal stenosis procedure using the X-stop device. The program will take place in Price Auditorium at 6 p.m. at Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center.
            Lumbar spinal stenosis is a painful condition that occurs when the nerve tube in the spine becomes constricted.  It is the most common cause for back surgery in people over 50. In the past, treating this condition has involved a complicated surgery to remove tissue and bone around the spine. Now, doctors can correct the stenosis minimally invasively resulting in less pain, smaller scars and a shorter recovery time.
            The advantages to utilizing the X-stop device are changing the quality of life for patients diagnosed with spinal stenosis.  Making a small incision, the surgeon inserts the X-stop device that presses against the vertebra and pushes open the nerve tube. The minimally invasive procedure is done under local anesthesia on an outpatient basis. The recovery time is about a week—long enough for the two to three inch incision to heal.
The standard operative approach of a laminectomy, requires an in-patient hospitalization and a recovery/ rehabilitation time of weeks to months.
            Dr. Skidmore is a neurosurgeon with Neurosurgical Specialists, Inc. in Norfolk, VA. If you would like to attend this educational program, register by calling 889-CARE.

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Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health System is a leading health care organization known for providing care for the whole person with grace and clinical distinction. Bon Secours brings together a network of hospitals, primary care practices, ambulatory care sites and continuing care facilities to provide quality health care services to the residents of Hampton Roads. Bon Secours, which employs more than 4,500, includes: Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center, Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center, Mary Immaculate Hospital, Bon Secours Health Center at Harbour View, Bon Secours Maryview Nursing Care Center and St. Francis Nursing Center.