Meet Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeon
Kurt Eichholz, MD, FACS
From a young age, Dr. Eichholz was always interested in science and the human body. When Dr. Eichholz was an Undergraduate, many people were pre-medical students, so Dr. Eichholz obtained his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) license to make sure he could handle being around sick people or traumatic situations. That led to a job as a Nursing Assistant in the Neurosurgical ICU at our University. Dr. Eichholz spent a lot of time with nurses, residents, and neurosurgeons, which introduced him to medicine and also to neurosurgery.
When Dr. Eichholz ended up going to medical school, he tried to keep an open mind in terms of what field he wanted to specialize in, but was already interested in neurosurgery. After graduation from medical school and a residency in neurosurgery, Dr. Eichholz became very focused on spine surgery in general.
He was lucky enough to train under Dr. Matthew Howard and Dr. John VanGilder at the University of Iowa, and was able to learn from some of the best spinal surgeons in the country, including Dr. Vincent Traynelis, Dr. Timothy Ryken, and Dr. Patrick Hitchon, and then completed a fellowship with Dr. Richard Fessler.
Fellowship-trained in
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
One of the things that sets Dr. Eichholz apart is that he is one of the few physicians who is fellowship-trained in minimally invasive and complex spine surgery. His goal is to try to avoid surgery when possible and, when surgery is indicated, to try to do the least invasive surgery that gets the best possible result for that patients’ pathology. He tries to avoid doing fusions, except for pretty strict criteria, and tries to make sure that the patients have the best outcome in terms of relief of their pain without having to go through unnecessary additional levels or unnecessary surgical interventions.
There are papers published about the advantages of minimally invasive procedures, including decreased narcotics, decreased hospital stay, decreased blood loss and most importantly, decreased infection rates. Dr. Eichholz has co-authored a paper that shows our infection rate is significantly lower when using minimally invasive techniques.
When Dr. Kurt Eichholz opened St. Louis Minimally Invasive Spine Center in 2013, it became the only practice in the area that is exclusively dedicated to minimally invasive spinal surgeries, including discectomies, spinal decompressions, lumbar fusions, and artificial disk replacements.
Minimally invasive techniques give patients with spinal conditions alternative options that involve less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, and fewer narcotic requirements than traditional open-surgery methods. Dr. Eichholz specialized in the treatment of degenerative spine diseases, disc herniations, lumbar and cervical stenosis, spondylolisthesis, adult degenerative scoliosis, and peripheral nerve surgery. Additionally, he is on the few surgeons in the country who treat basilar invagination. He is board-certified in neurosurgery and fellowship-trained in minimally invasive and complex spine surgery.
While his practice is dedicated to minimally invasive surgery, Dr. Eichholz sometimes receives patients whose conditions are too complex to be treated through minimally invasive methods, or those who may not require surgical intervention at all. In these cases, he is trained and equipped to perform alternative treatment options, and he works with several other providers, including pain management physicians and physical therapists, to get patients the most appropriate treatment for their conditions.
St. Louis Minimally Invasive Spine Center is a premier choice for patients who are looking for one-on-one attention when addressing their spinal surgery needs. The practice is small and personalized, meaning patients get Dr. Eichholz’s complete focus and always hear from him personally when it comes to matters like imaging results. Dr. Eichholz sees patients with or without physician referrals, and he has privileges at Mercy Hospital St. Louis, St. Anthony’s Medical Center, and Frontenac Surgery Center.
Disclaimer: Article Used With St. Louis Magazine’s permission.
Spinal Procedure Considerations
Training and experience matter
Located in St. Louis, MO, in private practice at St. Louis Minimally Invasive Spine Center, Dr. Eichholz is one of the few fellowship-trained minimally invasive spine surgeons in the Midwest.
Dr. Eichholz specializes in minimally invasive treatment of degenerative spine disease, including spinal stenosis, disc herniations, neoplasms, trauma and deformity. He treats lumbar, thoracic and cervical disc herniations, fractures, tumors, meningiomas, neoplasms, stenosis, slip, spondylolisthesis, instability, and fractures. He is one of the few surgeons who treats adult degenerative scoliosis utilizing minimally invasive techniques, and also performs endoscopic spinal surgery. He also is an expert in the surgical treatment of abnormalities of the cranio-vertebral junction.
Dr. Eichholz earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Saint Louis University, and later earned his MD degree with distinction in research at SLU as well. He completed his residency in Neurosurgery at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He then completed a fellowship in Minimally Invasive and Complex Spinal Surgery at the University of Chicago.
He previously served as Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, and then served as Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery and Director of the Neurosurgery Spine Program at Saint Louis University. He has published extensively on spine disorders, spine biomechanics, and minimally invasive spinal surgery techniques. Dr. Eichholz is one of the few fellowship-trained Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeons in the Midwest.
Outside of the hospital, Dr. Eichholz is married to Dr. Amy Eichholz, a practicing obstetrician/gynecologist. They have two children, Eric and Elizabeth. His outside interests include playing guitar, although not as much as he would like, and classic cars.
