Boca Raton deserves
a spine surgeon with
all the options on the table.

If you have single or two-level cervical disc disease without significant instability, you may be an appropriate candidate for cervical disc replacement rather than ACDF — and the data strongly favors disc replacement when both are technically feasible. The ProDisc-C FDA IDE trial showed a 5-fold lower reoperation rate with disc replacement vs. ACDF at 5 years (2.9% vs. 14.5%). The reason disc replacement was likely not offered is that most South Florida spine surgeons are not certified for these devices. A telemedicine second opinion from a surgeon who performs both — and will recommend whichever is right for your anatomy — is the appropriate step before committing to ACDF. Upload your MRI and Dr. Katsevman will review it personally before the appointment.

Yes — and this is the recommended starting point for almost all patients from Boca Raton. Upload your MRI, CT, X-rays, nerve conduction studies, and any prior operative or consultation reports before your telemedicine appointment. Dr. Katsevman reviews all imaging personally. The telemedicine consultation covers your diagnosis, whether it is correct, whether surgery is indicated, what the full range of options is, and which procedure is right for your specific anatomy. For most patients, this consultation provides more clarity than any prior evaluation they have had. If surgery is appropriate and you want to proceed, one in-person trip is made for the pre-operative visit and the procedure. Most procedures are same-day discharge.

TOPS (Total Posterior Segment replacement) is an FDA Breakthrough Device for Grade I spondylolisthesis with stenosis — the diagnosis that almost universally leads to a fusion recommendation. TOPS stabilizes the vertebral slip and decompresses the spinal canal while preserving controlled segmental motion. In the FDA randomized controlled trial, TOPS achieved 77% overall clinical success versus 24% for fusion at 2 years. No cage, no bone graft, no permanent rigid construct. Most patients with spondylolisthesis in South Florida are offered only fusion because TOPS requires specific certification and training that most surgeons do not have. Dr. Katsevman is on the official TOPS surgeon locator. If you have Grade I spondylolisthesis and have been recommended fusion, a telemedicine consultation to determine whether TOPS is applicable to your anatomy is worth having before consenting to fusion.

Yes — evaluating patients with failed prior spine surgery is a specific part of this practice. Bring your operative report from the prior surgery, all post-operative imaging, and a description of current symptoms including how they changed after the operation. The evaluation determines which of the four failure modes applies — wrong diagnosis, wrong procedure, technical execution issue, or misaligned goals — and what, if anything, can be done. Many patients with failed spine surgery have a specific identifiable and addressable cause that was never found. Some do not, and deserve to be told that honestly. Telemedicine is available for the initial evaluation from Boca Raton.