P. Ronjon Paul, M.D. Board Certified, Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon
Dr. Paul brings a well known reputation for excellent outcomes and cutting edge experience to DuPage Medical Group. Board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, his clinical interests include reconstructive cervical and lumbar spinal surgery with an emphasis on minimally invasive techniques. Dr. Paul has a rapidly growing reputation in the area of “lateral access surgery” to the lumbar spine. He frequently teaches techniques to neurosurgeons and spinal surgeons from around the country as well as Asia and Europe. His far reaching reputation has brought surgical patients from distances as far away as Hong Kong. Dr. Paul is often featured in the local news and is a favorite among the area’s physicians and their families.
Dr. Paul has been an award-winning researcher in genetic tissue engineering for degenerative disc disease and other spinal disorders. He has published his findings in major medical journals and presented at national and regional medical conferences.
Dr. Paul is member of the charter class of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. He went on to earn his medical degree from the University of Chicago-Pritzker School of Medicine. He completed a residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Chicago Hospitals. Dr Paul continued his training at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals in an intensive fellowship in Spinal Surgery, which included participation in FDA clinical trials of artificial cervical disc replacements.
Dr. Paul is a member of the North American Spine Society, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and a teaching member for the Society of Lateral Access Surgery. He is affiliated with Good Samaritan, Central DuPage and Edward Hospitals.
Locations
DuPage Medical Group in Lombard on Highland Ave
(630) 967-2225
1801 S. Highland Avenue
Lombard, IL 60148
DuPage Medical Group in Naperville at Edward Physician
(630) 967-2225
100 Spalding Drive
Naperville, IL 60540
Dr. Paul Conducts eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF) Training Course
Dr. Ronjon Paul conducted an eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF) training course at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons headquarters in Rosemont, Illinois on February 2, 2008. Neuro and Spinal Surgeons were in attendance from across the Midwest to learn from Dr. Paul how the XLIF procedure for lumbar fusion approaches the spine from the side of the body instead of from the front or back. This approach to the spine is as minimally disruptive as possible and optimizes the patients’ recovery.
Patient benefits for the XLIF procedure are:
- Reduced operative time – Traditional procedures can take up to 5 hours; the XLIF procedure can be successfully completed in as little as 45 minutes, reducing the amount of anesthesia time.
- Reduced blood loss and minimal scarring – Less-invasive procedure allows for less tissue disruption, resulting in reduced blood loss.
- Reduced postoperative pain – The XLIF procedure does not require entry through sensitive back muscles, bones, or ligaments. Many patients are usually walking the same day after surgery.
- Reduced hospital stay – Patients are typically walking the same day after surgery and require only an overnight stay in the hospital, compared to several days of immobility and hospitalization typical of traditional open approaches.
- Rapid return to normal activity – Patients are usually walking the same day after surgery. Recovery is typically around 6 weeks, compared to 6 months or more.
An accomplished XLIF surgeon and an active Society of Lateral Access member, Dr. Paul is the most experienced XLIF physician with the highest volume in the Chicagoland area. He is one of the few physicians hand selected to train in Brazil under the pioneer of the XLIF procedure. Dr. Paul is a proctor for the XLIF classes on the west coast and he also proctored several local training courses for physicians in his peer group. He routinely has surgeons visit his Operating Room to observe the XLIF procedures. Dr. Ronjon Paul practices at The Spine Center of DuPage Medical Group, located at the Edward Medical Physician Center 120 Spalding Drive Naperville, IL, 630 469 9200.
Watch a video about eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF)
Article: A New Avenue of Treatment for Chronic Back Pain
For the past five years, Dr. Ronjon Paul, an orthopaedic spine surgeon affiliated with Good Samaritan Hospital, has been treating patients with spine disorders. Chronic back pain is quite common, with an estimated ten million adults suffering from it annually.
Due to advances in medical technology, patients suffering from back pain due to degenerative conditions now have more options than ever before. Each option has its own set of risks and benefits. Dr. Paul will always first attempt to address these problems non-surgically; however if that does not relieve the patient’s pain, surgery may be suggested.
This was the case for one of Dr. Paul’s recent patients. As a personal trainer, this patient was very active but suffered daily from a painful condition known as spondylolisthesis, which results from one vertebrae slipping forward over another. After living with crippling pain for two years, the patient underwent a minimally disruptive surgical procedure called XLIF®, or eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion. Unlike traditional procedures that approach the spine from the front or the back of the body, XLIF approaches the spine from the side. The side, or lateral, approach avoids entry through sensitive back muscles, bones, or ligaments, resulting in minimal blood loss, less postoperative pain and quicker recovery. “The outcomes are phenomenal,” explains Dr. Paul. “Patients tend to do very well with the XLIF procedure. They have very low blood loss and often go home the next day.”
The personal trainer’s XLIF surgery was no exception. “The patient was up and walking the same night as the surgery,” says Dr. Paul.
One of the most gratifying aspects of the XLIF procedure for Dr. Paul is having the ability to treat patients who previously were not candidates for spine surgery. “I had patients that could not tolerate traditional spine surgery, and now I can treat them with the XLIF procedure.”
An accomplished XLIF surgeon and an active Society of Lateral Access member, Dr. Paul is the most experienced XLIF physician with the highest volume in the Chicagoland area. He is one of the few physicians hand selected to train in Brazil under the pioneer of the XLIF procedure. Dr. Paul is a proctor for the XLIF classes on the west coast and he also proctored several local training courses for physicians in his peer group. He routinely has surgeons visit his Operating Room to observe the XLIF procedures.
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