Program
Back pain is ranked second only to headaches as the most frequent location of pain among Americans. Four out of five adults experience a bout of back pain at some time in their lives, and fortunately the vast majority of these patients recover with no medical or surgical intervention.

For others, back problems can interfere with basic life experiences. It is the nation’s leading cause of disability, and even though it is not often life-threatening, estimates of its total cost to society range from $20 billion to $50 billion a year in the United States.

Spinal injuries and diseases are among the most complex and difficult of ailments found in modern life. Millions suffer from the broad range of disease processes that can affect the spine, which include degenerative conditions such as lumbar and cervical disk diseases and rheumatoid arthritis, spinal cord and vertebral tumors, spinal cord malformations, trauma and infections.

Patients with serious acute or chronic spinal disease can benefit from the advanced, personalized care available at the Neurosurgery Spine Center at Yale. Accurate diagnosis and successful treatment require a complex blend of art and science. Specialized experience, advanced technology, sophisticated diagnostic expertise and outstanding surgical skills combine to ensure patients the best chances of a successful outcome.

Looking at the Whole Picture
The center provides comprehensive diagnostic services for patients whose conditions have not been definitely identified as well as treatment evaluations and surgical options for those whose previous surgeries may not have been wholly successful. Patients who are referred to the Spine Center are carefully evaluated to determine the best course of treatment for their individual situation. The goal is to improve the condition and quality of life of each patient with the most advanced, least invasive treatment.

Minimally Invasive Surgeries
Advanced, one-day surgical procedures, including vertebroplasty and disk electrocauterization, are available for appropriate surgical candidates. Vertebroplasty relieves pain among some osteoporosis sufferers with collapsed vertebrae. Surgical bone cement is injected into the affected areas bolstering bone growth. Disk electrocauterization involves the use of a needle to shrink disks by burning them.

Complex Surgeries our Specialty
When all treatment options are carefully weighed and surgery is indicated, the Neurosurgery Spine Center surgeons can perform spinal reconstructions for severely deteriorated spines or repair damage from trauma or prior surgeries. Leading edge techniques such as discography make it possible to track electrical activity within the spine with exceptional precision to localize the site of injuries. And because the department is a major referral center for neurosurgical problems of all types and levels of complexity, spine patients benefit from the collaborative, interdisciplinary environment that enhances opportunities for advancing care.

All the Support Services in Place
Yale-New Haven Hospital is a level one trauma center, fully equipped to handle complex spinal cord injuries. Yale’s spine patients who undergo surgery benefit from specially equipped surgical suites outfitted with the latest technology, and they recover in Yale-New Haven Hospital’s ten-bed Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the only specialized unit of its kind in the region staffed with neuro critical care nurses with many years of experience caring for neurosurgery patients. The health care team continuously challenges current practice to ensure their programs reflect the most advanced treatment options delivered in a way that enhances the well being and comfort of patients.

Research: the Foundation of Advances in Clinical Care
A major goal of the department is to continue a long tradition of research into the nervous system. Laboratory research into the basic mechanisms of neurological disease is one arm of this research effort. Yale is at the forefront of basic science research in the area of spinal cord and nerve tissue regeneration. The other arm is clinical research where our experience with past patients is studied to determine the best treatment for future patients. These efforts ensure that we will remain on the leading edge of medical science, providing state-of-the-art care for present and future patients.

Current clinical research includes investigations into how to minimize spinal cord injury at the time of trauma to prevent further damage and to enhance recovery.

Referrals
Many patients are directed to Yale by their neurosurgeons because their problem is unusual or extremely complicated. Patients may also refer themselves. Patients are seen quickly usually within two weeks of calling the department. All patients referred to Yale benefit from the multi-disciplinary team approach that is an essential feature of our practice. Our surgeons maintain a close working relationship with many area neurosurgeons and welcome referrals. Care is taken to ensure the referring physician is kept current on diagnostic findings and treatment recommendations.

Program Director
Khalid Abbed, M.D.

Dr. Abbed was born and raised in Illinois and obtained his bachelor's degree in the Biological Sciences from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.   He continued his education at the University of Illinois and received his Doctor of Medicine degree with Honors, ranking first in his class and being elected for admission into Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA), medicine's highest honor society, during his junior year.   After medical school, Dr. Abbed completed his internship in Surgery and residency in Neurological Surgery at Harvard University at the Massachusetts General Hospital.   He then completed a fellowship in Orthopedic and Neurosurgical Spinal Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic.

Contact Information
Dr. Khalid Abbed, Director
Spine Center
office and appointments:
203-785-2807

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Last modified: December 3, 2007 (RSM)