Spine Specialist Frankfurt (Hesse): Prof. Dr Archavlis

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Prof. Dr Eleftherios Archavlis is a specialist in spine surgery and, as a neurosurgeon, head physician at the Interdisciplinary Spine Center at St. Elisabethen Krankenhaus in Frankfurt.

Based on his many years of experience, Prof. Archavlis is proficient in all techniques for the surgical treatment of spinal disorders. He has a high level of expertise in minimally invasive surgery in the field of degenerative back diseases and the treatment of nerve tumors and conditions of the peripheral nerves. Themed "As little as possible - as much as necessary," he develops an individual treatment concept for each patient.

Specialist for the Treatment of Degenerative Spinal Disorders and Injuries

A typical spinal disorder is a degenerative scoliosis, the cause of which - in contrast to idiopathic scoliosis in young people - is due to various age-related signs of wear and tear. This damage, caused by wear and tear on vertebral joints, intervertebral disks, and ligaments, leads to a loss of stability that results in a curvature of the spine. This spine collapse is the reason for the age-related decrease in height.

The symptoms of this instability are chronic back pain due to osteoarthritic cartilage defects in the vertebral joints and pain and signs of failure in the legs due to any narrowing of the spinal cord in its bony canal.

Conservatively, this symptom of aging can be alleviated by targeted strengthening of the back muscles. Surgery seems advisable if the pain symptoms persist despite local injection with pain medication and physiotherapeutic measures or if neurological deficits also occur. Surgical intervention can widen the spinal canal, straighten advanced scoliosis, and stabilize the unstable spine using metal implantation.

Highest Expertise in the Treatment of Herniated Disks

The most frequent incidents related to the intervertebral disks occur in the area of the lumbar spine and the lumbosacral junction with the sacrum since, at this point, the force of gravity of the entire torso exerts the highest pressure on the intervertebral disks. Under this chronic load, the tissue of the fibrous ring around the intervertebral disk, which encases the gelatinous core, becomes brittle and loses elastic flexibility throughout life. Due to the weight load of the upper body, the inner nucleus of the intervertebral disk is under tremendous pressure, which seeks to relieve itself as the surrounding fibrous ring loses elasticity. As a result, the gelatinous core enters the spinal canal and compresses the spinal cord or an exiting nerve root. This is manifested by pain radiating from the back into the leg and characteristic limb loss symptomatology, depending on the affected spinal segment.

Therapeutically, conservative, minimally invasive, and open surgical options are available, which, if unsuccessful, should be escalated in this order after a treatment period of 3-4 weeks to counteract the development of chronic pain memory.

If conservative therapy fails, minimally invasive compressive tissue material removal is an elegant and practical treatment option.

Modern Spinal Surgery in Hesse: Individual Therapy for Spinal Stenosis

The body counteracts progressive degenerative changes in the spine using stabilizing support reactions. Reactive changes in the vertebral bodies can narrow the spinal canal and compress the spinal cord running through it. This painful condition is called spinal stenosis and is accompanied by numbness, tingling, and paralysis of the extremities. The spinal canal must be surgically widened, especially in therapy-resistant pain and neurological deficits.

Many Years of Experience in the Treatment of Instabilities of the Spine

One of the most common signs of spinal instability is called spondylolisthesis. Due to age, this can be caused by degenerative processes in the intervertebral disks, which causes the articulated connection between the vertebrae to lose strength. A slipped vertebra usually develops in the lumbar region between the 4th and 5th lumbar vertebrae. As a reactive measure by the organism to ensure stability, bony outgrowths of the spine form, and the individual vertebrae thicken, constricting the spinal canal, causing the above-described failure symptoms to occur. In addition to surgical widening of the spinal canal, it may be necessary to stiffen the spinal column over several segments to stop the painful sliding of the vertebrae against each other. A more extensive surgical approach must usually be chosen for such an intervention.

Spine Specialist Frankfurt: Surgical Therapy for Tumors of the Spine or Spinal Cord

Cancer cells can spread to the bony spine in various tumor diseases. Such bone metastases can destabilize the spine and lead to painful, spontaneous fractures. Their displacing growth can also constrict the spinal cord in the spinal canal, causing paraplegia. To avoid such distressing complications, radiofrequency ablation can destroy tumor tissue by heating it with a high-frequency current to prevent further growth.

In severe neurological deficits due to a narrowing in the spinal canal, emergency surgical decompression may become necessary to preserve important bodily functions, such as bladder emptying.

Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery in Frankfurt

The benefits of minimally invasive spine surgery include more minor scars, shorter recovery times, less blood loss, and less pain after surgery than traditional open procedures. Minimally invasive procedures by Prof. Archavlis in Frankfurt include disk surgery, vertebral fractures, fusion, and decompression.

Instead of debating whether the neurosurgeon or the orthopedic surgeon is better suited for the surgical treatment of back pain, the Spine Center Frankfurt combines the expertise of neurosurgery, orthopedics, and trauma surgery to provide the best possible outcome for the patient. In this way, patients benefit from a comprehensive service from a single source and save themselves the tedious journey from one specialist to another.

Conventional and Dynamic Treatment of Scoliosis in Frankfurt

The surgical treatment of spinal deformities is a designated focus of the center. In addition to all forms of scoliosis, these include congenital and acquired hyperkyphosis (hunchback).

Thanks to our consultant partner PD Dr Trobisch, the St. Elisabethen Hospital is now one of the few centers in Germany to offer dynamic scoliosis correction for children and adolescents. This innovative and non-stiffening surgical method is available as a treatment option for some forms of scoliosis. This technique involves placing screws in the vertebrae as in fusion but then connecting the screws with a special rope (braided medical plastic). This allows the curvature to be corrected and the spine to remain mobile. Prof. Archavli's partner, Dr Trobisch, introduced the method to Germany in 2017 and is considered the most experienced specialist in Europe. Instead of debating whether scoliosis treatment is better left to orthopedic surgeons or neurosurgeons, the Interdisciplinary Spine Center Frankfurt physicians have decided to combine the expertise of neurosurgery, orthopedics, and trauma surgery for the benefit of patients. As a result, patients at the Interdisciplinary Spine Center receive an all-around package from a single source.

Please, visit Prof. Archavlis' website for more information.