Polaris Spine & Neurosurgery in Sandy Springs, Ga., has reportedly performed more spine surgeries using the Intracept procedure than any other group in the Southeast.
Raymond Walkup, MD, became the first neurosurgeon in Georgia to perform an Intracept case in May 2020, three months after David Tran, MD, a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist with Polaris Spine & Neurosurgery, and Shane Mangrum, MD, a physiatrist, completed the state's first commercial case, according to a June 29 news release.
The Intracept procedure targets vertebrogenic pain from degenerative changes at the disc endplate junction for chronic axial back pain when less invasive options, such as epidural steroid injections and facet procedures, have failed.
A probe is inserted into the vertebral body that uses radiofrequency heat to destroy the basivertebral nerve, stopping the transmission of the pain signals. The procedure takes between 60 and 90 minutes, does not require implants or sutures, and preserves the structure and mobility of the spine, according to the practice.
The minimally invasive procedure can be used as an alternative to lumbar fusion for painful, but stable lumbar motion segments in the absence of radicular symptoms.
"As opposed to lumbar spine fusion, Intracept has essentially no recovery period," Dr. Walkup said. "Patients can resume normal activities almost immediately."