Welcome Dr. Jho's Innovative Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery for Spine and Brain Disorders Director: H.D.Jho, M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Neurosurgery

Return to Top                    To Table of Contents

• Despite advances in the art of microneurosurgery, the risk of surgery for brain and spinal diseases is still significant. It is even greater for surgery involving skull base tumors or vascular lesions and complex spinal diseases. Escalating health care costs are another important concern. Ideal neurosurgical treatment should provide patients with cure of the disease, minimal risk, and rapid recovery as well as return to employment.

  ---

• Dr. Jho has developed various innovative minimally invasive surgical techniques for spine and brain disorders that have now been applied to patient care. Among these techniques are endoscopic transsphenoidal pituitary surgery through a nostril without skin incision or nasal packing, endoscopic skull base surgery through a nostril, a nose-bridge incision craniotomy for skull base tumors, an orbital roof craniotomy or superolateral orbital craniotomy through a small eyebrow incision for tumors and aneurysms, a subtemporal approach through a small temple incision for skull base tumors and aneurysms, and a retromastoid approach for tumors, cranial nerve disease, and aneurysms. Postoperatively, patients require only small incisional bandages. Delicate microsurgical techniques which utilize an operating microscope and an endoscope help to achieve successful treatment of brain lesions through small and precise exposure. Brain retractors are never used in order to avoid unwanted brain damage. Many of these procedures can be done on an outpatient or short hospital stay basis.

  ---

• New surgical techniques for spinal disease have been developed as well. These innovative procedures include a disc-perserving cervical disc operation, microdecompression of the spinal cord for cervical stenosis, anterolateral or posterolateral approach for cervical spinal cord tumors, outpatient thoracic discectomy, outpatient lumbar microdiscectomy, microdecompression for lumbar stenosis, etc. Those operations are performed mostly on an outpatient basis. If required, spinal instrumentation and bone fusion are also performed by minimally invasive techniques.

Return to Top                    To Table of Contents

Disorders and Diseases Treated

Disorders and diseases treated at Dr.Jho's Innovative Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery for Spine and Brain include:

• cervical disc herniation: Anterior Microforaminotomy, Minimally Invasive Disc-Preserving Functional Cervical disc Surgery, Percutaneous Anterior Cervical Discectomy, Endoscopic Posterior Cervical Foraminotomy
• thoracic disc herniation: Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Transpedicular Thoracic Discectomy
• lumbar disk herniation: Minimally Invasive Lumbar Disc Surgery, Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy

• cervical stenosis: Minimally Invasive Cervical Stenosis Surgery (The Jho procedure for cervical stenosis)

• lumbar stenosis: Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Lumbar Stenosis Decompression
• spinal cord tumors: Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Spinal Cord Tumor Surgery
• occipital neuralgia: Novel Surgical Treatment for Occipital Neuralgia or Headaches
• pituitary tumors: Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Pituitary Tumor Surgery Through a Nostril for Pituitary Adenomas, Prolactinomas, Acromegaly, and Cushing's Disease
• skull base tumors: Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery Through a Nostril: Minimally Invasive Skull Base Brain Tumor Surgery Without A Skin Incision
• chordomas, epidermoid tumors, meningiomas, craniopharyngiomas, germinomas
• aneurysms: Eyebrow Incision Skull Base Surgery for Cerebral Aneurysms
• trigeminal neuralgia: Microvascular Decompression Surgery
• hemifacial spasm: Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Microvascular Decompression Surgery for Hemifacial Spasm
• vertigo: Microvascular Decompression of VIII Cranial Nerve
• tinnitus: Microvascular Decompression of VIII Cranial Nerve
• glossopharyngeal neuralgia: Microvascular Decompression of the Glossopharyngeal Nerve
• spasmodic torticollis : Endoscopic Microvascular Decompression for Spasmodic Torticollis

Return to Top                    To Table of Contents

Minimally Invasive Innovative Spine Surgery

• Cervical Disc Herniation:
  Anterior Microforaminotomy
  Disc preservation outpatient surgery which does not require a
  brace or collar postoperatively.

• Spondylotic Cervical Stenosis:
  Spinal Cord Decompression via Anterior Foraminotomy
  Overnight stay surgery which does not require bone fusion or a brace.

• Cervical Spinal Cord Tumors:
  Anterolateral or Posterolateral Approach

• Thoracic Disc Herniation:
  Microscopic Endoscopic Transpedicular Approach
  Outpatient surgery performed through an inch skin incision.

• Lumbar Disc Herniation:
  Lumbar Microdiscectomy
  Outpatient surgery.

• Lumbar Stenosis:
  Microdecompression via a Unilateral Laminotomy

• Occipital Neuralgia:
  Microdecompression of C2

Minimally Invasive Innovative Skull Base Surgery

1. Glabellar approach via a two-inch incision at the nasal bridge
2. Orbital roof craniotomy via a two-inch eyebrow incision
3. Superolateral orbital craniotomy via a two-inch incision
4. Subtemporal craniotomy via a two-inch incision
5. Retromastoid craniectomy or craniotomy via a two-inch incision
6. Lateral approach to the craniovertebral junction via a three-inch incision

Endoscopic Pituitary Surgery
Through a nostril with no skin incision: overnight stay surgery.

Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery

Endoscopic Brain and Cranial Surgery

Cranial Nerve Surgery
Trigeminal neuralgia, hemifacial spasm, vertigo, tinnitus, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, spasmodic torticollis.

---

Return to Top                    To Table of Contents

---

Referral Information

For referral information or appointment for consultation contact:

Manager: Robin A. Coret, B.S.- (412)359-6110 or e-mail at

rcoret@DrJho.com

Fax: (412)359-8339

Address: JHO Institute for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery

7th Floor, Snyder Pavilion, Allegheny General Hospital, 320 East North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15212-4772

Contact Dr. Jho via email: DrJho@DrJho.com

---

Return to Top                    To Table of Contents

---

   M.J. Whang  Questions or Comments : hmdde@AOL.COM

Copyright © 1995-2002 by Mi-Ja Jho, B.E., H.D. Jho M.D., Ph.D., JHO Institute for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery, All rights reserved