Hello! I’m excited to welcome you to our new blog on spine care.
First, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is David Lundin and I’m the Medical Director for Spine Surgery at Valley Medical Center in Renton, Washington. I’m a native and long-time resident of Washington state, and I attended the University of Washington (UW) Medical School where I graduated at the top of my class in 1999. I joined the Department of Neurosurgery at the UW and continued my training at UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle Children’s, and the VA Hospital in Seattle. I was extremely fortunate to do an additional year of training at the prestigious Atkinson Morley’s Neurosurgical Hospital in London, England, where the first CT scanner was invented. After returning to the United States I continued my specialty training in both the neurosurgery and orthopedic surgery departments at the UW.
In 2006 I became the Director of Complex and Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at a prominent spine surgery program in Los Angeles. Eventually my ties to the Pacific Northwest brought me and my family back to the Seattle area, and in 2008 I joined Valley as the Medical Director for Spine Surgery.
Over the past three years, I’m proud to say, the spine program at VMC has developed into a “5-star” center of excellence for the treatment of spinal conditions. We perform surgeries in a spacious, state-of-the-art surgery center and our patients recover in our new, first-class inpatient Spine Center that features larger private patient rooms with abundant natural light, a rehab room, and even on-demand room service. We’ve also been recognized this year as being among the top 2% of hospitals nationwide for spine surgery by Healthgrades.
My focus continues to be the comprehensive treatment of all spinal disorders, including both non-surgical and surgical treatments, with the goal to perform the least invasive treatments possible.
Why blog? I’m often asked questions about spinal conditions and decided a blog could be a good way for people to get information and answers to common questions, directly from a practicing spine physician.
I encourage you to send in your questions and check back with us frequently as we will continue to add information. You can also follow us on Twitter: @vmcspine, where you can DM me to ask questions. Again, welcome to the new Spine Center Blog. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to our conversations!
David A. Lundin, MD
I need this surgery because I have spinal stinosis. Unfortunately I cannot find anyone who does non-invasive laser back surgery who takes medicare. I cannot afford it otherwise. Do you have any suggestions?
My spinal surgeon here in Hawaii has told me that I am not a good candidate for ADR. I was recommended to your hospital by my good friend and Seattle resident David Kusumoto. I am also retired and on a fixed pension. I need to have insurance coverage for the procedure. I am having a Hemi laminotomy done on Oct. 22. I forgot to mention that the reason he does not like me for ADR is my arthritis and bone spurs. I have been diagnosed with DDD for at least 3 yrs. Please reply.
Aloha,
Michael Inouye
By your post it would appear you have already had your surgery. ADR can be used in cases for DDD. However the indications for such a procedure are specific and the images need to be reviewed carefully. Typically ADR is not used for patients after laminectomy/laminotomy as these procedures can destabilize the spine in some cases.
Do you accept medicare? I have spinal stinosis. I also have recent MRI, could i get a reading? I do not want open bace surgery. At age 77 I feel it is too riskey and too long in recovery.
I don’t have a Twitter account. I had an X-ray and an MRI done at VMC in February. I have spondylolisthesis with LSS. Could you take a look at these images and see if I’m a candidate for procedures you perform? My insurance is with Regence. Thanks.
I have had an MRI and been examined by an orthopedic specialist with a diagnosis of Spondylolithesis at Lumbars 4 & 5. Also have some stenosis, as well as degenerative arthritis of the sacroilliac. I am 75 years old. Is surgery my only option, and should I be seeing a neurosurgeon or orthopedic surgeon?
Thank you.
Surgery may be one of several options available for this condition. I would be happy to review your case with you. Please make an appointment if you would like.
I have significant & severe stenosis at L4-5 with broad-based disk bulge in a central location as well as facet arthropathy with some small synovial cyst & thickening of the ligamentum flavum. Would I be a candidate for the ILIF procedure?
This sounds like an ideal case for the ILIF although we would need to review your case personally to determine if this is the case. Please feel free to make an appointment at your convenience.
Is it possible that the ILIF procedure could eliminate pain and increase flexibility for a 70 year old who has arthritic damage and had a lumbar laminectomy quite a number of years ago? Frankly, to someone who has had chronic pain and limited activities for a long time, this sounds too miraculous to be true.
We have had great results with the ILIF in many patients with your condition. However, we would need to determine how extensive a laminectomy you had prior to see if you are a candidate.
who does laser back surgery in the north west please let me know at mikeltanner@gmail.com thanks
I am unsure of providers that offer this service. Please see our new blog post regarding this treatment.