View Dr. Kaveh Khajavi’s complete publications

Research & Innovation in Spine Surgery

Advancing minimally invasive spine surgery through clinical research

Dr. Kaveh Khajavi has spent decades studying the outcomes of the procedures he performs. His published research has examined minimally invasive lumbar fusion, XLIF/lateral surgery, adult degenerative scoliosis, spondylolisthesis, cervical fusion, surgical safety and emerging spine technologies.

Minimally Invasive & Lateral Spine Surgery

Much of Dr. Khajavi’s clinical research over the past two decades has focused on minimally invasive approaches to lumbar fusion. He was among the early adopters of Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF), incorporating the technique into his practice in 2003.  His research has examined the clinical outcomes, safety and effectiveness of lateral lumbar fusion for conditions including degenerative disc disease, spondylolisthesis and adult spinal deformity. His work has also explored anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) and other minimally invasive approaches designed to reduce tissue disruption while achieving the goals of spinal reconstruction.

Some examples of our publications in this area:

Adult Scoliosis & Complex Spine Reconstruction

Adult scoliosis falls into a category that is referred to as an adult deformity. These are generally very complex, lengthy cases, and traditionally have very high complication rates. Using some of the minimally invasive techniques described above, the surgery can be made somewhat less invasive, although these are still very lengthy and complex cases.

Some examples of our publications in this area:

Cervical Spine Surgery

Some examples of our publications in this area:

Surgical Safety & Neuromonitoring

Dr. Kaveh Khajavi has had a long-standing interest in surgical safety.  In terms of spine surgery specifically, he is currently actively involved in a number of research projects looking at the importance of neuro monitoring during lumbar fusion surgery. Neuro monitoring is a way of looking at the health of the spinal cord and nerves through electrical stimulation of the motor and sensory pathways during surgery. When a patient is asleep, we cannot ask them to move their feet.  Neuro monitoring alerts us to any potential nerve issues that might be developing while you are under anesthesia, and gives us the opportunity to make adjustments to minimize the risk of having any neurological worsening when a patient wakes up.

Some examples of our publications regarding neuro monitoring:

Spine Technology & Innovation

In addition to the safety of spinal fusion surgery specifically, Dr. Kaveh Khajavi has had a long-standing interest in making all surgery, not just spine surgery or neurosurgery, safer for patients.  Dr. Khajavi founded a company called StartBox, a technology company designed to improve communication and through a series of safety checks, prevent wrong side surgery.  He has also either patented or helped develop a number of spine specific surgical devices and procedures.

Some examples of our surgical safety technology and patents

Measuring Our Own Outcomes

There is some misleading information in medical marketing today – terms like “minimally invasive,” “robotic surgery,” and “laser surgery” have become buzz words and are often being used without substantial supporting clinical evidence.

Since opening our practice in 2003, we have maintained a clinical outcomes database of our elective spine surgery patients. The goal is to objectively evaluate the results of the care we provide, identify opportunities for improvement, and contribute meaningful clinical data to spine research.

Why do we collect data?

• We believe patients have a right to know their surgeon’s “track record” and their success rate for different surgical procedures
• Allows our surgeons and clinicians to objectively evaluate and monitor the quality of the care they provide
• To better identify the best course of treatment for individual patients, as well as patient subgroups
• Provides the foundation of clinical research, which enables us to assess new surgical techniques and emerging technologies

What is unique about our patient database?

• We do not selectively enroll patients with greater improvements and omit patients with less improvement.  All elective surgical patients are prospectively enrolled in the database and included for analysis.

How is our data collected?

• All investigators obtain the appropriate research credentials, including CITI certification and Good Clinical Practices training, all of which are renewed yearly
• Patients are de-identified (personal information is removed) upon entering the database and assigned a unique ID number
• The majority of information is collected through meticulous retrospective review of patient charts, progress notes, and surgical summaries
• Clinical outcomes (ODI, NDI, VAS, EQ-5D, SRS 22) are prospectively collected using a set of questionnaires that has been identified by academic literature to provide the most comprehensive picture of patient outcome.