Areas of expertise, then individual procedures.
Start with the type of care you are considering, or browse the full procedure library. Each page explains who an approach may help, its tradeoffs, and when another strategy may be more appropriate.
14 procedures
Four focused pathways through spine care
Endoscopic and Minimally Invasive
Minimally invasive and endoscopic spine surgery with neurosurgeon Edvin Telemi, MD, Metro Detroit: the least disruptive approach that fully treats the problem.
Explore this area →02Motion Preservation
Artificial disc replacement and other motion-preserving spine surgery with Edvin Telemi, MD: who is a candidate and how it compares with fusion. Metro Detroit.
Explore this area →03Complex and Revision
Still in pain after spine surgery? Evaluation and revision surgery for nonunion, hardware problems, cage subsidence and recurrent stenosis in Metro Detroit.
Explore this area →04Spinal Tumor Surgery
Evaluation and surgery for spinal cord tumors and spinal metastases: decompression, stabilization and resection. Neurosurgeon Edvin Telemi, MD, Michigan.
Explore this area →Choosing an approach together
I review your imaging alongside your symptoms, examination and previous care. We discuss the expected benefit, the risks and the alternatives before deciding whether surgery fits your goals. Learn about evaluation and nonsurgical care.
Minimally invasive and endoscopic techniques provide different ways to reach the spine. Motion preservation may be appropriate for selected disc problems. Decompression, fusion or reconstruction may be needed for other patterns of compression or instability. The approach follows the problem being treated.
Complex and revision spine care
A previous operation, changes in spinal alignment or symptoms involving several levels call for a detailed review of the original diagnosis, current imaging and earlier records. We discuss what another operation could reasonably address and what may remain uncertain.
Decompression
1Fusion & stabilization
3Anterior Cervical Discectomy & Fusion (ACDF)
A surgery performed through the front of the neck to remove a damaged cervical disc, relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots, and stabilize the spine through fusion.
Lumbar Fusion
A surgical procedure that permanently joins two or more lumbar vertebrae to eliminate painful motion at an unstable or arthritic spinal segment.
Posterior Cervical Decompression & Fusion
An approach from the back of the neck that widens the spinal canal, relieves pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots, and stabilizes the treated vertebrae with screws, rods, and bone graft.
Motion preservation
2Cervical Disc Replacement
A motion-preserving alternative to fusion that replaces a damaged cervical disc with a prosthetic implant to relieve arm pain, numbness, or spinal cord pressure.
Lumbar Disc Replacement
A motion-preserving lumbar procedure that replaces a degenerated disc with an artificial implant rather than permanently fusing the adjacent vertebrae.
Minimally invasive
4Endoscopic Discectomy
A minimally invasive procedure that uses a small working tube and an endoscopic camera to remove herniated disc material pressing on a spinal nerve root.
Lumbar Microdiscectomy
A minimally invasive operation that removes the portion of a herniated lumbar disc compressing a spinal nerve root, aiming to relieve leg pain and restore function.
Minimally Invasive Decompression
A targeted, muscle-sparing operation that removes the bone and thickened ligament compressing the lumbar spinal canal or nerve root canal through a small incision using tubular retractors.
Posterior Cervical Foraminotomy
A minimally invasive operation performed through the back of the neck to widen the bony canal through which a compressed nerve root exits the spine, relieving arm pain without removing or fusing a disc.
Deformity correction
1Fracture treatment
1Tumor surgery
2Spinal Cord Tumor Resection
Microsurgical removal of a tumor involving the spinal cord or its coverings, using intraoperative neuromonitoring to protect neurological function while the lesion is separated from the cord.
Spinal Metastasis Surgery
Decompression and stabilization for cancer that has spread to the spine, planned around the patient's oncological treatment rather than in isolation from it.
Talk through your next steps.
An initial evaluation or second opinion can help you understand your findings and discuss appropriate options for your goals.