Spine Surgery for Connecticut Patients · Naples & Fort Myers FL · Fellowship-Trained Neurosurgeon
Yale New Haven is exceptional.
TOPS and disc replacement
are not in the program.
Connecticut has outstanding spine care at Yale New Haven, Hartford Hospital, UConn Health, and Bridgeport Hospital. What these programs cannot offer is the full technology stack: TOPS motion-preserving surgery, cervical and lumbar disc replacement, Barricaid annular closure, and custom 3D-printed implants. At every Connecticut academic center, residents participate in surgery. In Naples, Florida, Dr. Katsevman performs every case personally. Telemedicine from anywhere in Connecticut. Surgery during your Florida winter stay.
"Yale New Haven and Hartford Hospital are excellent institutions. Connecticut patients often also drive 90 minutes to HSS or Columbia in New York looking for a different answer — and get the same one. The technology gap is not hospital-specific. It is a feature of the entire academic spine landscape in the Northeast."
Dr. G. Katsevman, MD · Neurosurgeon & Spine SurgeonThe honest comparison
What Connecticut spine centers offer —
and what they don’t
Yale New Haven, Hartford Hospital, UConn Health, and Bridgeport Hospital are strong institutions. The gap is specific and structural — certain technologies require certifications that most academic programs haven’t pursued, and the teaching hospital model means residents participate in surgery at every one of them. Connecticut patients who travel to HSS or Columbia for a second opinion find the same gap there.
Yale New Haven · Hartford Hospital
UConn Health · Bridgeport Hospital
Strong standard spine surgeryACDF, lumbar fusion, discectomy, laminectomy — performed at solid volume with good outcomes at Connecticut academic centers. This is not a criticism of quality.
TOPS not availableThe FDA Breakthrough Device for spondylolisthesis — 77% vs. 24% over fusion in the FDA RCT — is not offered at Yale New Haven, Hartford Hospital, or UConn Health. The certification has not been pursued.
Disc replacement rarely offeredMost Connecticut spine surgeons recommend fusion by default because device certifications for Simplify®, ProDisc-C®, and ProDisc-L® are not standard at Connecticut academic programs. Patients who qualify are rarely told.
Barricaid not standardThe 81% reherniation reduction of Barricaid annular closure is not part of standard Connecticut discectomy. The annular defect that causes recurrence is left open at surgery.
Residents participate in every surgeryYale School of Medicine, UConn, and Quinnipiac are all teaching programs. Residents perform portions of surgeries under supervision — this is how surgeons are trained, but not always what patients assume when they choose a name institution.
Driving to HSS or Columbia doesn’t fix itConnecticut patients who travel 90 minutes to New York for a second opinion find the same structural gap. HSS, Columbia, NYU Langone, and Weill Cornell also do not offer TOPS or routinely discuss disc replacement.
This practice in Naples — what’s different
TOPS — official surgeon locator, one of few in the US77% clinical success vs. 24% fusion at 2 years in FDA RCT. Motion preserved. No cage, no bone graft. Same-day discharge. Not available at any Connecticut or major New York academic center.
Disc replacement — certified for all three devicesSimplify®, ProDisc-C®, ProDisc-L®. 5× lower cervical reoperation rate. More than 3× less adjacent degeneration lumbar. Every appropriate candidate is presented with disc replacement as an option.
Barricaid on every eligible discectomy81% fewer reherniations. The annular defect is closed at the time of surgery — standard here, not practiced at Connecticut academic centers.
Dr. Katsevman performs every case personallyNo residents. No fellows. No exceptions — not in a single case. The surgeon who reviewed your MRI is the surgeon who operates, from first incision to final closure.
Telemedicine from Connecticut — no travel for consultationUpload your imaging. Dr. Katsevman reviews personally. Full evaluation from Greenwich, Stamford, Hartford, New Haven, or anywhere in Connecticut — before you commit to anything.
Surgery scheduled around your timelineNo months-long wait. Surgery planned when it works for you — during a Florida trip or your winter stay. Connecticut has one of the highest densities of Florida snowbird residents in the Northeast.
The technology difference
What’s available here
that Yale, Hartford, and UConn don’t offer
77% vs 24% over fusion in FDA RCT. Grade I spondylolisthesis with stenosis. Stabilizes the slip. Preserves motion. No cage, no bone graft. Same-day discharge.
77% vs 24% · FDA RCT5× lower cervical reoperation rate vs. ACDF at 5 years. More than 3× less adjacent degeneration lumbar. Certified for all three devices.
5× lower reoperation · FDA IDEAnnular closure at surgery. 81% fewer reherniations in eligible patients. Sub-quarter-inch incision. Same-day discharge.
81% fewer reherniationsManufactured from your CT scan. Perfect endplate contact. Patient-specific lordosis. EOS full-spine standing alignment planning. Not available at Connecticut academic centers.
Continuous SSEP, MEP, EMG. Dedicated neurophysiologist in real time. Any change triggers immediate alert. Not universal at Connecticut academic centers.
Platelet-rich plasma and bone marrow aspirate harvested intraoperatively. Applied to disc space, epidural, or fusion cage. No additional needle sticks. Not standard at Connecticut programs.
How it works for Connecticut patients
From Connecticut to Naples —
the practical path
Upload your MRI, X-rays, and any prior specialist reports. Dr. Katsevman reviews all imaging personally. Full evaluation covering diagnosis, all treatment options — including what was not offered locally — and which procedure is right for your anatomy. Telemedicine from Greenwich, Stamford, Hartford, New Haven, or anywhere in Connecticut.
Pre-operative requirements coordinated — most completable in Connecticut. Full transparent cash-pay pricing before any commitment. Surgery scheduled when it works for you — during a Florida trip or a winter stay in Southwest Florida.
Bradley International (BDL) connects to RSW via Charlotte or Tampa — total travel under 4 hours. Many Connecticut patients drive 90 minutes to JFK for direct service to RSW on JetBlue or American. RSW is 30 minutes from both offices. Most procedures: same-day discharge.
Post-operative follow-up by telemedicine from Connecticut. Your Connecticut physician receives a full operative report. If you have a Florida winter address, recovery happens there — on Gulf Coast time rather than in a Connecticut winter.
Questions from Connecticut patients
What Connecticut patients ask
before making the trip
Yale New Haven recommended fusion for my spondylolisthesis. Is TOPS an option? +
For Grade I spondylolisthesis with stenosis — which generates most spondylolisthesis fusion recommendations — TOPS is a genuine alternative. The FDA randomized controlled trial showed 77% overall clinical success with TOPS versus 24% for fusion at 2 years. Yale New Haven is an excellent institution. TOPS is not offered there because the certification has not been pursued — not because of surgical quality. A telemedicine second opinion determines whether your anatomy is suitable for TOPS before you commit to fusion that permanently eliminates motion at that segment.
Hartford Hospital recommended ACDF for my neck. Should I consider disc replacement? +
For single or two-level cervical disc disease without significant instability, disc replacement is often the superior long-term option. The ProDisc-C FDA IDE trial showed a 5-fold lower reoperation rate at 5 years versus ACDF (2.9% vs. 14.5%). Hartford Hospital surgeons are not certified for Simplify® or ProDisc-C®. A second opinion from a surgeon certified for both — who will recommend whichever is better for your anatomy — is the right step before committing to ACDF.
I drove to HSS in New York and got the same recommendation. Why is this different? +
Because the technology gap is not Connecticut-specific — it is a feature of the entire Northeast academic spine landscape. HSS, Columbia, NYU Langone, and Weill Cornell do not offer TOPS either. They are excellent institutions. The certification required for TOPS has simply not been pursued at any major academic program in the Northeast. The answer you received at HSS is the same answer you would receive at every other name institution in the region — not because the technology doesn’t exist, but because no one there is certified to offer it.
Does Connecticut insurance cover surgery in Florida? +
Most Connecticut insurance plans — Anthem BCBS of CT, Aetna (headquartered in Hartford), Cigna (headquartered in Bloomfield), UnitedHealthcare — cover out-of-state care for services not available locally. TOPS and disc replacement may qualify as not locally available. Full documentation is provided for claims. Connecticut patients with Aetna or Cigna — both headquartered in the state — may find these plans particularly cooperative on out-of-state coverage for technology-specific procedures. Cash-pay pricing is available with full transparency before any commitment.
I have a place in Naples or Fort Myers. Can I plan surgery during my Florida stay? +
Yes — Connecticut has one of the highest proportions of Florida snowbird residents in the Northeast, particularly from Greenwich, Fairfield County, and the shoreline. Start with a telemedicine consultation from Connecticut before you travel south. If surgery is appropriate, it is scheduled during your Florida stay. Most procedures are same-day or next-day discharge. Recovery at your Naples or Fort Myers property. Telemedicine follow-up after returning to Connecticut in the spring.
"Connecticut patients are often driving 90 minutes to see HSS or Columbia and getting the same answer they got in Hartford — fusion. The technology gap doesn’t change when you cross state lines into Manhattan. It changes when you call a surgeon who is actually certified for the devices that produce better outcomes."
Gennadiy (Gene) A. Katsevman, MD
Neurosurgeon & Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeon · Naples & Fort Myers FL
Official surgeon locator: TOPS™, Simplify®, ProDisc-C®, ProDisc-L®
Barricaid® on every eligible discectomy · aprevo® 3D-printed custom cages
EOS imaging · Robotic navigation · Intraoperative CT · Neuromonitoring every fusion
No residents · Dr. Katsevman performs every case personally
Fellowship — Barrow Neurological Institute · 30+ publications
Naples Top Doctor 2024, 2025, 2026
Naples: 6101 Pine Ridge Road #101 · (239) 649-1662
Fort Myers: 8380 Riverwalk Park Blvd #320 · (239) 437-1121
Connecticut Patients · Telemedicine Available · Surgery in Naples & Fort Myers FL
Before you commit to fusion
in Connecticut — hear all the options.
Upload your MRI before the telemedicine appointment. Dr. Katsevman reviews everything personally. You will know whether TOPS, disc replacement, or minimally invasive decompression is right for your anatomy — and whether the trip south is worth making.
6101 Pine Ridge Road #101, Naples, FL 34119
Fort Myers, FL 33919
Upload imaging before your appointment