Through numerous medical innovations, Kevin T. Foley, M.D., neurosurgeon with Methodist University Hospital and Semmes-Murphey Neurologic & Spine Institute, has influenced the way spinal surgery is performed around the world. One of his co-inventions has had an important impact in the field of minimally invasive procedures.

Developed in 1995, the METRx MicroDiscectomy is a less invasive option for back surgery that allows surgeons to repair herniated discs by viewing affected nerves through a narrow tube inserted into a small incision in the patient's back. By dilating the muscle, surgeons can displace the tissue around the are that needs repair and safely remove the herniated disc fragments without cutting any muscle. Thanks to the METRx system patients are able to go home within hours of their procedure and return to work within a couple of weeks.

As founder and board chair of the Medical Education & Research Institute, Dr. Foley continues to advance the development of innovative technologies. Through MERI, he helps provide surgeons with world-class, hands-on education programs and help them expand their skills in newer, less invasive techniques.

See the METRx system at work link to   http://www.or-live.com/methodisthealth/1204/  during a 2004 webcast of surgery to repair a herniated disc.