Dr. Stanton Schiffer is First San Francisco Bay Area Physician to Successfully Perform Herniated Disc Procedures Using Breakthrough, Minimally Invasive Outpatient Technique: HydroDiscectomy(TM).

FREMONT, Calif. -- "I'm doing great! I absolutely have no leg pain any more, and that was my main problem. I drove 250 miles to have this procedure, because it's so new no one's offering it in my area. At this point, I would call the HydroDiscectomy procedure a smashing success!"

Mark Wetterholm, 47, Bakersfield, Calif.

Stanton Schiffer, M.D. (www.drschiffer.com, 877-463-5942) announced today that he has performed his 80th successful herniated disc repair procedure using a breakthrough, minimally invasive outpatient technique called HydroDiscectomy, developed by Billerica, Mass.-based HydroCision, Inc. (www.hydrocision.com). HydroDiscectomy uses a high-velocity waterjet to quickly and safely decompress herniated (bulging) discs, providing relief to patients suffering from chronic back and/or leg pain. The new HydroDiscectomy procedure bridges the gap between conservative therapy and invasive open surgery. HydroDiscectomy can offer an option to patients who have failed many conservative treatments and may lead to a significant reduction in their narcotic pain medication.

"HydroDiscectomy is a minimally invasive procedure for herniated discs--under local anesthesia and on an outpatient basis--that allows my patients to return home the same day with no more than a Band-Aid(R) on their back," said Dr. Schiffer, who added that HydroDiscectomy is an innovative adaptation of the Lumbar Endoscopic Discectomy (LED) technique he has used in approximately 2,000 back surgeries in the past 20 years. "With HydroDiscectomy, patients can walk out of our surgery center in about two hours feeling significantly reduced, or no, pain at all. Other procedures may require open surgery, use general anesthesia, and necessitate long hospital stays and rehabilitation," added Dr. Schiffer--an internationally recognized spinal surgeon who trained at the Cleveland Clinic and is presently on the clinical teaching staff at the University of California San Francisco Department of Neurosurgery.

One of his most recent patients--Mark Wetterholm, 47--drove 250 miles from Bakersfield, Calif., to have the HydroDiscectomy procedure performed by Dr. Schiffer. "I tried a number of treatments to cure my chronic back and leg pain," said Mark. "From conservative approaches such as exercise and deep-muscle massage, to physical therapy, to prescription drugs. Even then, my back and leg pain would just never go away. I suffered through this for many years. It had a demoralizing effect on the quality of my life." While researching other potential solutions on the Internet, Mark learned about Dr. Schiffer and the HydroDiscectomy procedure. After consulting with Dr. Schiffer, Mark had the HydroDiscectomy procedure performed on March 28, 2006. He returned home that same day and was medically cleared to return to work. "I would strongly recommend that, if you have been suffering from chronic back and/or leg pain, you should definitely know about the HydroDiscectomy procedure," added Mark. "I have my life back again."

Approximately 80 percent of all Americans experience back and/or leg pain at some point in their lives, and as many as 20 percent of working-age adults cope with back and/or leg pain annually.

"The HydroDiscectomy procedure has several advantages over open surgery," said Dr. Schiffer. "First, it's an outpatient procedure, so there is no hospital stay, and patients are back home the same day. In addition, there is no general anesthesia, only local anesthesia, which has fewer risks and side effects. And, patients frequently get immediate relief, because the HydroDiscectomy procedure effectively decompresses herniated discs and can thereby relieve pressure on the nerve instantly. Furthermore, HydroDiscectomy reduces the need for pain medications in those patients who have failed other conservative treatments. Because it's a minimally invasive procedure with no incision, patients experience less pain during and after the HydroDiscectomy procedure. And, finally, patients recover very quickly from the HydroDiscectomy procedure and can return to work much sooner than with traditional surgery."

Western Neurosurgical Clinic's mission is to evaluate, treat, and rehabilitate patients so that they can return to a more normal lifestyle, without their discomfort or debilitating pain, and to do this as safely and rapidly as possible.