Spine Surgery Second Opinion · Minnesota Patients · Naples & Fort Myers FL
Mayo Clinic is the most trusted
name in medicine.
They don’t offer what we offer.
TOPS motion-preserving surgery. Lumbar disc replacement. Barricaid annular closure. PRP and BMAC biologics. No residents, no fellows — every surgery performed personally by Dr. Katsevman. Hundreds of five-star reviews across Google, Healthgrades, and WebMD. None of this is routinely available at Mayo Clinic or University of Minnesota. Telemedicine second opinion from anywhere in Minnesota.
"Mayo Clinic is where the world turns when every other option has failed. I say that without reservation. What Mayo doesn’t offer is TOPS, lumbar disc replacement, Barricaid, or intraoperative PRP and BMAC — and every surgery there involves residents and fellows. Hundreds of my five-star patients came to Naples after being told fusion was their only option. It often wasn’t."
Dr. G. Katsevman, MD · Neurosurgeon & Spine SurgeonPatient reviews
Hundreds of five-star reviews —
from patients who were told fusion was their only option
Across Google, Healthgrades, and WebMD — three independent review platforms — Dr. Katsevman holds a consistently five-star rating with hundreds of verified patient reviews. Many came from Ohio, New York, Michigan, Canada, and Minnesota after being recommended fusion at their local academic center. They describe what changed when they heard all the options.
Hundreds of verified five-star reviews across Google, Healthgrades, and WebMD — from patients who came to Naples after being recommended fusion at their local academic center. Read what they describe in their own words.
The most important step before spine surgery
A spine surgery second opinion
from a surgeon who offers what Minnesota doesn’t
A second opinion is most valuable when the second surgeon can offer something the first cannot. Getting a second opinion within Minnesota’s academic system — Mayo Clinic, University of Minnesota, Allina Health, Fairview — produces the same recommendation for the same reason: none of those surgeons are certified for TOPS, lumbar disc replacement, or Barricaid, and none offer intraoperative PRP or BMAC biologics. The options don’t change. The conversation here is different.
with Dr. Katsevman covers
Before your appointment, upload your MRI, X-rays, any CT scans, and operative reports from prior procedures. Dr. Katsevman reviews all imaging personally before the call — not a PA, not a coordinator, the surgeon himself. The consultation addresses five specific questions that Minnesota academic programs typically cannot answer:
Is the diagnosis correct?Many fusion recommendations are based on accurate imaging but incomplete clinical correlation. A fresh review by a surgeon with no stake in the prior recommendation identifies whether the structural finding on MRI actually explains the symptoms.
Are you a TOPS candidate?Grade I spondylolisthesis with stenosis — the most common diagnosis leading to fusion recommendation — is exactly what TOPS was designed for. 77% clinical success vs. 24% for fusion in the FDA RCT. Not offered in Minnesota.
Are you a disc replacement candidate?Cervical disc replacement — 5× lower reoperation rate vs. ACDF. Lumbar disc replacement (ProDisc-L®) — more than 3× less adjacent degeneration vs. fusion. Lumbar disc replacement in particular is rarely offered at academic programs anywhere in the US. Both are available here.
Does Barricaid apply to your discectomy?If a discectomy is recommended, Barricaid closes the annular defect at the time of surgery — reducing reherniation risk by 81%. Not standard at any Minnesota academic program.
Should you add PRP or BMAC biologics?Platelet-rich plasma and bone marrow aspirate concentrate — drawn from your own blood and bone marrow during surgery, applied to the operative site. These are optional cash-pay enhancements added to your insured surgery. Academic spine programs in Minnesota do not offer them as part of their surgical protocol.
If you need posterior fixation — is a minimally invasive approach possible?Patients recommended a “360-degree” cervical fusion — ACDF plus open posterior rods and screws — may be candidates for Corus minimally invasive posterior fixation instead. Same stabilization, dramatically smaller incisions, far less muscle disruption. Especially important in high-risk patients: osteoporosis, smokers, nicotine users. Not routinely offered at academic centers.
The honest comparison
What Minnesota academic programs offer —
and what they don’t
Mayo Clinic and University of Minnesota are exceptional institutions. The gap is specific and certification-based — not a reflection of quality, but of which technologies each program has chosen to pursue.
Mayo Clinic Rochester ·
University of Minnesota
Excellent standard spine surgeryACDF, lumbar fusion, discectomy, laminectomy — high volume, strong outcomes. Mayo is where the world turns for the most complex cases. The quality of care is not the issue.
TOPS not availableThe FDA Breakthrough Device for Grade I spondylolisthesis with stenosis — 77% vs. 24% over fusion in the FDA RCT — is not offered at Mayo or University of Minnesota. Certification not pursued. Every spondylolisthesis patient is offered fusion.
Lumbar disc replacement not offeredProDisc-L® — which produces more than 3× less adjacent degeneration vs. fusion — is not available. Most academic programs have not certified surgeons for lumbar disc replacement. Fusion is the default.
Barricaid not standard81% fewer reherniations after discectomy — not practiced at Mayo or University of Minnesota. The annular defect is left open. Recurrence is the most common reason for repeat surgery after discectomy.
PRP and BMAC biologics not offeredIntraoperative platelet-rich plasma and bone marrow aspirate concentrate are not offered at academic spine programs in Minnesota as optional biological add-ons. These enhancements simply are not part of the protocol.
Multilevel laminectomy often performed open — by residentsMany academic centers still perform multilevel lumbar laminectomy through a large open midline incision. In teaching hospitals, residents perform significant portions of this surgery. Minimally invasive multilevel laminectomy through a single small incision is not the standard academic approach.
SI joint dysfunction — often missed or not treated surgicallyMany academic spine programs do not routinely diagnose or treat SI joint dysfunction. Patients with SI joint pain are frequently misdiagnosed with lumbar disc disease and offered lumbar fusion — treating the wrong pain generator entirely.
Open posterior fixation — no minimally invasive alternativeWhen multilevel cervical fusion requires posterior stabilization, academic centers typically perform traditional open posterior fixation — long midline incision, significant muscle stripping, rods and screws. Corus MIS posterior fixation is not routinely offered.
Residents and fellows participate in every surgeryMayo Clinic and University of Minnesota are teaching hospitals. Residents and fellows perform portions of surgeries at both. This is how excellent surgeons are trained — but not what most patients assume when choosing a nationally ranked institution.
This practice in Naples — what’s different
TOPS — official surgeon locator, one of few in the US77% vs. 24% over fusion in FDA RCT. Motion preserved. No cage, no bone graft. Same-day discharge. Not available at any Minnesota academic center.
Lumbar AND cervical disc replacement — all three devicesSimplify®, ProDisc-C®, ProDisc-L®. Cervical: 5× lower reoperation rate. Lumbar: more than 3× less adjacent degeneration. Lumbar disc replacement in particular is rarely available at academic programs. Certified here for all three.
Barricaid on every eligible discectomy81% fewer reherniations. Annular defect closed at surgery. Standard here — not practiced at Minnesota academic centers.
PRP and BMAC biologics — cash pay, intraoperativePlatelet-rich plasma and bone marrow aspirate concentrate harvested during surgery and applied to the operative site. Optional cash-pay biological enhancements added on top of your insured surgery. Not offered at academic programs in Minnesota.
MIS multilevel laminectomy — up to 3 levels, ~3 cm incisionUp to three levels of lumbar decompression through a single small incision using the METRx tubular retractor system. Muscles spread, not cut. Same-day discharge. At academic centers, multilevel laminectomy is often performed open — and in teaching hospitals, frequently by residents.
Minimally invasive SI joint fusion — a diagnosis many academics missMany academic programs either do not recognize SI joint dysfunction as a surgical diagnosis or have no pathway to treat it. Patients are misdiagnosed and offered lumbar fusion for the wrong pain generator. Dr. Katsevman accurately diagnoses and treats SI joint dysfunction — percutaneous MIS fusion when conservative care fails. Same-day discharge.
Corus™ MIS posterior fixation — alternative to open rods and screwsWhen multilevel cervical fusion requires posterior stabilization, Corus achieves it through incisions roughly a quarter the size of open posterior surgery. Far less muscle stripping, far easier recovery. Especially important for high-risk patients: osteoporosis, smokers, nicotine users. Level I FUSE study evidence. Not routinely offered at academic centers.
Dr. Katsevman performs every case personally — no residents, no fellowsNo exceptions in any case. The surgeon who reviewed your MRI operates from first incision to closure. Every time.
Hundreds of five-star reviews — Google, Healthgrades, WebMDVerified, independent patient reviews across three platforms. Read them at floridaspinesurgeon.org/reviews.
The technology and biologics difference
What’s available here
that is not routinely offered at academic programs
77% vs 24% over fusion in FDA RCT. Grade I spondylolisthesis with stenosis. Stabilizes the slip. Preserves motion. Same-day discharge. Official TOPS surgeon locator — one of few certified surgeons in the US.
77% vs 24% · FDA RCTSimplify®, ProDisc-C®, ProDisc-L®. Cervical: 5× lower reoperation rate vs. ACDF. Lumbar: more than 3× less adjacent degeneration vs. fusion. Lumbar disc replacement (ProDisc-L®) is particularly rare at academic programs — most have not certified surgeons for it.
5× lower reoperation · FDA IDEAnnular closure device seals the disc defect at the time of discectomy. 81% fewer reherniations in eligible patients. Recurrence is the most common reason for a second discectomy. Barricaid addresses it at surgery — not offered at Mayo or University of Minnesota.
81% fewer reherniationsDrawn from the patient’s own blood during surgery. Applied to the disc space, epidural space, or incision at the time of the procedure. Cash-pay biological augmentation not available at academic spine programs in Minnesota.
Cash pay · autologousConcentrated bone marrow aspirate harvested from the patient during surgery and packed into the fusion cage. Cash-pay biological augmentation to support bone healing. Not available at Mayo Clinic or University of Minnesota spine programs.
Cash pay · autologousAt many academic centers, multilevel lumbar laminectomy is still performed through a large open midline incision — and in teaching hospitals, significant portions of that surgery are performed by residents. Dr. Katsevman performs up to three-level lumbar decompression through a single incision of approximately 3 cm using the METRx tubular retractor system. Muscles are spread, not cut. Blood loss is minimal. Same-day discharge.
Sacroiliac joint dysfunction is one of the most commonly missed diagnoses in spine care. Many academic programs do not recognize SI joint dysfunction as a surgical diagnosis or have no pathway to treat it. Patients with SI joint pain are frequently misdiagnosed with lumbar disc disease and offered lumbar fusion — an operation on the wrong pain generator. Dr. Katsevman accurately diagnoses and treats SI joint dysfunction with minimally invasive percutaneous fusion when conservative care fails. Small lateral incision. Same-day discharge.
Many patients with multilevel cervical disease are offered a large “360-degree” operation — ACDF plus open posterior fixation with rods and screws through a long midline incision. Corus achieves the same posterior stabilization through incisions roughly a quarter of the size, with far less muscle stripping and blood loss. Particularly valuable in high-risk patients: osteoporosis, smokers, and nicotine users. The FUSE study (published in Spine) demonstrated Level I evidence that circumferential cervical fusion with Corus PCSS produces superior fusion rates and fewer revision surgeries versus ACDF alone.
Level I · FUSE study · SpineRobotic guidance and intraoperative CT confirmation of every screw position before closure. Continuous SSEP, MEP, and EMG neuromonitoring on every cervical, thoracic, and lumbar fusion — not universal even at major academic centers. EOS full-spine standing imaging for alignment planning under load — most programs use standard X-ray. aprevo® custom 3D-printed interbody cages built from each patient’s CT scan.
How it works for Minnesota patients
Telemedicine second opinion —
then surgery if it makes sense
Upload your MRI, X-rays, and any prior specialist reports or operative records before the appointment. Dr. Katsevman reviews all imaging personally. The consultation addresses your diagnosis, whether it is correct, and — specifically — whether TOPS, disc replacement, Barricaid, PRP/BMAC biologics, or Corus minimally invasive posterior fixation apply to your anatomy. Many patients discover options that were never presented locally. No travel required for this step.
If surgery is appropriate, pre-operative requirements are coordinated — most completable in Minnesota before you travel. Surgery is billed through your insurance in the standard way. If you choose to add PRP or BMAC biologics, those are priced separately as cash-pay additions and disclosed upfront. Surgery scheduled when it works for you.
Minneapolis–Saint Paul (MSP) to RSW Fort Myers: approximately 3 hours direct on Delta, Sun Country, and Southwest — multiple daily departures. RSW is 30 minutes from both offices. In-person pre-op visit with Dr. Katsevman the day before or morning of surgery. Most procedures: same-day discharge.
Post-operative follow-up by telemedicine from Minnesota. Your Minnesota physician receives a full operative report. If you have a Florida winter address or stay in Naples for the recovery period, you are recovering on Gulf time — not in a Minnesota winter.
Questions from Minnesota patients
What Minnesota patients ask
before requesting a second opinion
Mayo recommended fusion for my spondylolisthesis. Is TOPS a real alternative? +
For Grade I spondylolisthesis with stenosis — which is the diagnosis that generates most spondylolisthesis fusion recommendations — TOPS is a genuine, FDA-approved alternative with significantly better outcomes data. The FDA randomized controlled trial showed 77% overall clinical success with TOPS versus 24% for fusion at 2 years. Mayo Clinic is the finest medical institution in the world for many conditions. TOPS is not one of them — the certification has not been pursued. A telemedicine second opinion determines whether your specific anatomy is a TOPS candidate before you commit to fusion that permanently eliminates motion at that level.
What is lumbar disc replacement and why didn’t any Minnesota surgeon mention it? +
Lumbar disc replacement removes the damaged disc and replaces it with an artificial device that preserves segmental motion rather than eliminating it through fusion. The ProDisc-L® FDA IDE trial demonstrated more than 3× less adjacent segment degeneration at 5 years versus lumbar fusion. The reason Minnesota surgeons didn’t mention it is straightforward: most academic programs have not certified surgeons for ProDisc-L®, and it is not part of their standard practice. Lumbar disc replacement is one of the most underutilized technologies in spine surgery — eligible patients are routinely offered fusion simply because their surgeon isn’t certified for the alternative.
What exactly are PRP and BMAC, and why are they cash pay? +
PRP (platelet-rich plasma) is drawn from your own blood during surgery and applied directly to the disc space, epidural space, or operative site to support biological healing. BMAC (bone marrow aspirate concentrate) is harvested from your own bone marrow intraoperatively and packed into the fusion cage to augment bone healing and fusion rates. Both are autologous — from your own body, during the same surgery. They are cash-pay because insurance does not routinely cover biological augmentation in spine surgery, and academic programs have not built these into their protocols. The cost is disclosed upfront before any commitment.
Does my Minnesota insurance cover surgery in Florida? +
Yes — most major Minnesota insurance plans cover out-of-state surgery, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, Medica, PreferredOne, HealthPartners, Aetna, and UnitedHealthcare. The surgery itself — TOPS, disc replacement, laminectomy, fusion, Barricaid, SI joint fusion — is billed to insurance in the standard way. The practice provides full documentation for out-of-state claims. The only cash-pay elements are PRP (platelet-rich plasma) and BMAC (bone marrow aspirate concentrate) biologics, which are optional add-ons that insurance does not cover — these are priced and disclosed upfront before any commitment. Everything else goes through your insurance.
If I get a second opinion at another Minnesota clinic, won’t I get the same information? +
Almost certainly yes — which is the specific reason a second opinion within Minnesota’s academic system often doesn’t change the outcome. Mayo Clinic, University of Minnesota, Allina Health, and Fairview all share the same structural limitation: their surgeons are not certified for TOPS or ProDisc-L®, and none of them offer intraoperative PRP or BMAC. Getting a second opinion from another surgeon at the same type of institution produces the same recommendation for the same reason. The conversation changes when the second surgeon can offer what the first one couldn’t.
"Minnesota patients trust Mayo Clinic, and for good reason. What they often don’t know is that TOPS, lumbar disc replacement, Barricaid, and PRP/BMAC are not available there. Hundreds of my five-star patients came to Naples after being told fusion was their only option. For many of them, it wasn’t."
Gennadiy (Gene) A. Katsevman, MD
Neurosurgeon & Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeon · Naples & Fort Myers FL
★★★★★ Hundreds of five-star reviews — Google, Healthgrades, WebMD
Naples Top Doctor — Neurosurgery 2024, 2025, 2026
Healthgrades Choice Award · WebMD Preferred Physician · U.S. News Patients’ Top Choice
Official surgeon locator: TOPS™, Simplify®, ProDisc-C®, ProDisc-L®
Barricaid® on every eligible discectomy · 81% fewer reherniations
PRP & BMAC biologics — intraoperative, cash pay, autologous
aprevo® 3D-printed cages · EOS alignment · Robotic navigation · Intraoperative CT
Neuromonitoring on every cervical, thoracic, and lumbar fusion
No residents · No fellows · Dr. Katsevman performs every case personally
Fellowship — Barrow Neurological Institute under Dr. Juan Uribe
30+ peer-reviewed publications
Naples: 6101 Pine Ridge Road #101 · (239) 649-1662
Fort Myers: 8380 Riverwalk Park Blvd #320 · (239) 437-1121
Minnesota Patients · Telemedicine Second Opinion · Hundreds of 5-Star Reviews · Naples FL
Before you commit to fusion
in Minnesota — hear all the options.
Upload your MRI before the telemedicine appointment. Dr. Katsevman reviews everything personally. You will know whether TOPS, disc replacement, Barricaid, or PRP and BMAC biologics apply to your case — and whether the 3-hour flight to Naples is worth making. Hundreds of five-star patients made that call. Most say they wish they had called sooner.
6101 Pine Ridge Road #101, Naples, FL 34119
Fort Myers, FL 33919
Upload imaging before your appointment