Spine Universe Editorial Board

Dr. Kevin Foley is a professor of neurosurgery at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tennessee. He also holds academic appointments at the University of Tennessee School of Biomedical Engineering and the Uniformed Services University for the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. He serves as Director of Complex Spine Surgery at Semmes-Murphey Neurologic & Spine Institute, Director of the Spine Fellowship Program for the University of Tennessee Department of Neurosurgery, and Medical Director for the Medical Education & Research Institute.

Dr. Foley received his Doctor of Medicine degree from UCLA in 1979. During his training, he was awarded the Eben J. Carey Memorial Anatomy Award and the Merck Manual Award for Academic Achievement and was elected to membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He interned at Letterman Army Medical Center, where he received the Richard Mason Award for Outstanding Intern. He returned to UCLA in 1980, where he completed his neurosurgery residency.

Following residency, Dr. Foley served in the United States Army Medical Corps as Assistant Chief of Neurosurgery at Brooke Army Medical Center, Chief of Neurosurgery at Tripler Army Medical Center, and Chief of Neurosurgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he was also the director of the neurosurgical residency training program. During his military service, Dr. Foley was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Order of Military Medical Merit, and the Surgeon General's Physician Recognition Award.

In 1992, Dr. Foley left the military to enter private practice and pursue an academic career. In addition to a full-time spine surgery practice, he is actively involved in research in image-guided spinal navigation, minimally invasive spine surgery, and spinal biomechanics. He has authored 20 book chapters and more than 80 journal publications. He has lectured at more than 200 scientific meetings and educational workshops and has been a visiting professor and invited lecturer at several universities in the US and abroad.

Dr. Foley is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the AANS/CNS Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves, the Cervical Spine Research Society, the North American Spine Society, the Society of University Neurosurgeons, the American Academy of Neurological Surgery, the International Society for Computer Aided Surgery, the Canadian Neurosurgical Society (Honorary), the Southern Neurosurgical Society, and the Tennessee Neurosurgical Association.

SpineUniverse articles from Kevin T. Foley, MD

• A Morphometric Study of the C2 Pedicle and Pars - Part 1
  To provide anatomic and clinical information about the pertinent surgical anatomy for C2 pedicular vs. pars screws.
• A Morphometric Study of the C2 Pedicle and Pars - Part 2
  A morphometric study of the C2 pedicle and pars
• Artificial Discs and Degenerative Disc Disease
  Artificial Discs and Degenerative Disc Disease, an interview with Kevin Foley, M.D.
• Case Report: 50-Year-Old Male Treated with PRODISC®
  Read about the experience of a 50-year-old man who underwent disc replacement surgery as a participant in the nonrandomized portion of the PRODISC® disc replacement trial.
• Endoscopic Intertransverse Lumbar Fusion
  To assess the feasibility of a new endoscopic technique for intertransverse lumbar fusion using human cadavers.
• FluoroNav: Virtual Fluoroscopy System
  FluoroNav is a surgical guidance system that combines a conventional C-arm fluoroscope with a surgical computer. By harnessing the power of the computer with the fluoroscope, FluoroNav allows the surgeon to see many views of the spine.
• Image-Guided Surgery: Space Age Technology Enters the Operating Room
  Image-guided surgery enables spine surgeons to see and navigate through the patient's anatomy three-dimensionally (3D) in real time before and during surgery.
• Low Back Disc Disease and Herniated Discs
  Most ruptured discs respond to nonsurgical treatment. Learn about the treatment options for patients who suffer from pain secondary to lumbar disc herniation.
• Microsurgical Treatment of Herniated Discs
  Minimally invasive spine surgery incorporates microsurgical techniques and tools that eliminate the need for a large incision, and reduces tissue trauma, post-operative pain, and time spent hospitalized.
• Minimally Invasive Herniated Disc Repair Video
  In this replay of a live video broadcast, Kevin Foley MD repairs a herniated disc using innovative minimally invasive techniques
• Minimally Invasive Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (PLIF): A Beneficial Union
  Spinal surgery has advanced to a new level that utilizes Minimal Access Spinal Technologies (MAST). These innovative surgical techniques replace traditional open procedures.
• Minimally Invasive TLIF
  Although still being studied, the use and effectiveness of minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) seems to be very promising.
• Minimally Invasive TLIF (Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion)
  PLIF and TLIF are two different types of fusion surgeries that may be effective in the treatment of spinal instability including spondylolisthesis, degenerative disc disease, or spinal nerve compression.
• Treatment Options for Ruptured (Herniated) Discs in the Low Back
  When non-operative treatments fail to relieve symptoms, surgery may be necessary. Conventional discectomy surgery for the removal of a herniated lumbar disc is one of the most commonly performed procedures in the United States.
• Virtual Fluoroscopy for Cervical Spine Surgery
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of virtual fluoroscopy for cervical spine surgery.
• Virtual Fluoroscopy: Multiplanar X-Ray Guidance with Minimal Radiation Exposure
  Fluoroscopy is a useful technology but has several disadvantages. The authors of this article discuss the benefits of "virtual" fluoroscopy. This is modern technology at its finest. Read on to find out more.