Pain takes back seat at Saint Anthony

Dr. M. Hytham Rifai cites advances in neuro, spinal surgery

Saint Anthony Medical Center staff physician M. Hytham Rifai has witnessed considerable progress in the neurological and spinal surgery fields since he began practicing medicine more than two decades ago.

As an example of the advances, Rifai, a medical doctor who is board certified in neurosurgery and has been on the Saint Anthony staff 23 years, said he recently employed a new minimally invasive lumbar spine procedure, called AxiaLIF, and his patient did “wonderfully.”

TranS1 Inc., a North Carolina-based medical device company that pioneered the procedure, reported Rifai was the first doctor in Northwest Indiana to use it.

“She was having terrific back pain from a very bad disc, although she had surgery previously,” Rifai said. “After her latest, minimally invasive surgery, she spent only one or two nights in the hospital – a big change from the past.”

Rifai, who also has been treating an increasing number of neck problems and herniated discs, said he takes a conservative treatment approach that leaves surgery “as the last resort.”

He added that when surgery is needed, the chances of success are much greater than in past decades, thanks to advances in diagnostic equipment that more clearly isolate and identify problem areas.

As far as neck cases, “the neck is much smaller than the backbone and it supports the head, which is heavy.

Eventually, there is degeneration in the neck,” Rifai said. Some of that, he added, can be attributed to patients’ spending considerable time in sedentary positions, such as those who work desk jobs and use computers, who might not have correct posture and/or don’t get enough exercise.

Rifai, who is based at Neurological & Spinal Surgery, which has offices in Crown Point, Merrillville, Munster and Valparaiso, said he has “great respect” for Saint Anthony Medical Center and its parent, Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Inc.

“The health care industry has seen its ups and downs, but Saint Anthony always has kept its head above water and not allowed its quality of care to be affected. The Sisters of St. Francis system continues to grow and provides good care to the Northwest Indiana area.”

Dr. Rifai also is a diplomate-American Board of Neurological Surgery and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

He can be reached at (219) 756-2900 or by e-mail: drrifai@neuro1.us.