I spent 3 years trying different therapies for relief from intense sciatic pain. After a failed…read morelaminectomy (authored by a different physician at a major NYC hospital), a Castle & Connolly physician recommended Dr. McCance. One month later, Dr. McCance surgically corrected the prior surgery. I was, within a few days following surgery, completely pain free for the first time in years. Now, 5 years to the month (almost) later after his surgery, I am still pain free. To everyone, he is Dr. McCance. To me, he is Saint McCance.

Dr Matusz has operated on me 3 different times for spinal stenosis and I think he is an…read moreextraordinary surgeon and an extremely compassionate doctor. He explained his procedures and my post operative care clearly and directly and answered all my questions quickly during recovery. I am grateful to him for the active life I still lead and for helping me to face the surgeries without fear . I recommend him to anyone with spinal issues l

Dr. Baaj working at Banner University Hospital in Phoenix at the time, performed a spine fusion on…read moreme in 2021 from my pelvis to T10, I'm a male, age 62 in 2021. After 2 weeks during after surgery follow up I asked him why I was tilting to the left, he said all my muscles were cut and I would have to wait for 2 years for my muscles to get strong enough to straighten me back up. 3 months later the rods came out of the couplings and had to go back in for surgery to put them back in. Over the 2 year period I was having a lot of trouble because I was tilted to the left. After 2 years I asked for it to be fixed because I was having to much pain, and Dr. Baaj responded that no surgeon would ever go back in to fix it because I was high risk and should look into getting a lift placed in my left shoe to straighten me up. I did so having a foot specialist determine it would take a 7/8" lift to equalize me. The lift never helped, so I was not only living with pain but also was getting depressed because I had nothing to look forward to. I moved to San Diego in December 2023 and started going to a pain management doctor, he decided to send me to see a Neurosurgeon for a consultation in mid 24, thinking he could assist with all the pain I was having at T10. He was unable to assist but said I should see Dr. Mundis, an Orthopedic Surgeon at Scripps in La Jolla. Dr Mundis said he could help, I was under the impression that he was going to do something around the T10 area, but he informed me that he was going to pull out all the hardware from my pelvis to T10 and install new hardware from my pelvis to T3. He determined with testing that I was not high risk and he promised I would once again be straight and if I wasn't he would go back in and fix any issues. I actually had tears in my eyes because it gave me hope. Just as a note, I was actually straight, looking front to back before my surgery with Dr. Baaj, but from side to side I was a mess. I went through the new spine fusion in Oct 24 and as promised I was perfectly straight. I highly recommend Dr. Mundis for severely deformed spines. To close, I put down that MAYBE I would recommend Dr. Baaj for future surgeries, because advancements in technology could assist Dr. Baaj to better insure the spine fusions turn out the way they are supposed to turn out. I may have been a difficult case, but Dr. Baaj never once offered to correct the fusion after he realized I was tilting to the left. 2nd, he took all my hope away when he said that no other doctor would ever go back in to fix it, so I lived with it for 3.5 years until I found out otherwise. You may turn out well with Dr. Baaj but I lost all confidence in him. If any Doctor ever wanted to view the before and after views of Dr. Baaj's work and the results of Dr. Mundis's work, all they need to look at are the full body X-rays. I suffered for 3.5 years and had it not been for a caring pain management doctor, Dr. Patel who actually cared about getting me some relief and getting me off of morphine I would still be suffering because I was not looking for another surgeon because Dr. Baaj told me himself that no surgeon would ever go back in to fix it. These comments are true to the best of my memory.

Horrible. Basilar Invaginarion. Failure & my daughter got MRSA & Sepsis & is on life long…read moreantibiotics. We noticed green infection right away f called Dr. Leslie Cohen Plastic Surgeon made us wait until our 2 week visit to see her & sis not perform blood work. We listened to them & she suffered thru many months of treatment ,intubation opening & cleaning the wound,surgery for lumps pic lines & still years later the surgery failed & no one will touch her because of the poor surgery that was done by Dr. Baaj & Dr. Leslie Cohen. She has no life because & neither do we. They promised she would be better but they made her worse. I felt confident when we first met them now I'm sorry I entrusted my daughter. Cohen wasn't even Board Certified when she did the surgery we found out later & we traveled from Pa to N.Y. & she never had the equipment when got there. We made trips there for nothing. She was very disorganized & never showed compassion. Being a fool I even bought her flowers as a thank you gift. Yellow because she said she like yellow flowers & had them at her wedding. I'm not mean but I'm so hurt what they did to my daughter & no one stood up for her or helped her. We couldn't get a lawyer because when they found out who her parents were they wouldn't take the case. Up until then they were all into it. Guess they have a lot of political pull also. Even within the hospital their lawyer was brusk with my husband but I bet if it was her children or grandchildren it would be a different story. Even after all these years I had to say something because eats away when she can't sleep because she hurts so badly & her neck is twisted. They fused her neck so she can't turn it screwin it are loose f she's always in pain & no one can or will help her. I curse the day I entrusted my daughter to these drs.

Had surgery in 1997. Its 2024 and thanks to Dr.Elowitz i was able to see my son grow to the 31yr…read moreold man he is today and many more years to go . Thank you with sincerely appreciation [:

My mother and I are both thrilled with Dr. Elowitz' expertise. My mother is 84 years old and had…read morebeen in severe pain for three years. Her back pain radiated into her left leg and she had great difficulty walking, sitting and lying down. Her lifestyle changed dramatically and she could no longer keep up in activities with my father. My mother tried the usual treatments ie. chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture and epidural injections however did not experience any lasting relief. A laminectomy was the only answer. I researched surgeons for my mother as I am a registered nurse. I found three top spine surgeons including Dr. Elowitz in NYC and we scheduled consult appointments with each. Dr. Elowitz was the only surgeon who was confident that a minimally invasive laminectomy was the way to go. The other surgeons wanted to cut up and rebuild my mother's spine (including performing a fusion) which was way over the top for an 84 year old woman. My mother and I did not feel that she would survive the recovery period for a fusion which is very involved. We chose Dr. Elowitz to perform my mother's surgery. Her care was top notch every step of the way. From admitting to preop to operating room to recovery room to the hospital floor where my mother stayed overnight (as did I), everyone we dealt with was professional, competent and ready to help. Dr. Elowitz even has hospital privileges to admit his patients to the 15th floor at Weill Cornell which is a post surgical floor with only private rooms and views of NYC and the river. We were very impressed. Dr. Elowitz spoke with us before the surgery, numerous times on the day of the surgery and checked on my mother at 7:00 AM the day after the surgery. He gave us as much time as we needed to answer all questions and told us to contact him at any time if we needed him. The surgery went well. My mother is presently 10 days postop and feels much better. She no longer has tingling down her leg. Dr. Elowitz says that my mother's nerve was damaged over the past three years and that she will continue to see improvement over the next few months as her nerve repairs itself. My parents have been going for walks all over the neighborhood since her second day postop! My mother could barely walk before the surgery from her bed to the bathroom. We absolutely made the right decision to go with Dr. Elowitz for surgery. He obviously is capable of performing a more intensive surgery (as the other surgeons we consulted suggested) but he took into consideration my mother's age and type of recovery that she would experience and performed the perfect surgery for her. I highly recommend Dr. Elowitz. He is a highly competent neurosurgeon who happens to have a wonderful bedside manner as well. Edward Butler, NP: My mother and I are very impressed with the competence, practical knowledge and professionalism of Ed Butler, who is Dr. Elowitz' NP (Nurse Practitioner). My mother is 84 years old and needed a laminectomy. I am a registered nurse and helped my mother chose Dr. Elowitz as her neurosurgeon. We spoke with Ed Butler who took a through history before we saw Dr. Elowitz. We also met with Ed at the two week postop visit before seeing Dr. Elowitz as well. Ed treated us with respect and responded to all of our many questions. Ed has worked in spine surgery for quite some time and has a wealth of experience to draw upon. My mother thought that she was having an allergic reaction two days postop and we called the office. We were put through immediately to Ed who considered my mother's symptoms and gave recommendations. Ed realized that my mother was experiencing throat tightness due to residual soreness from the breathing tube that had been inserted during surgery and was not having an allergic reaction. I had told my mother the same thing but she had to hear it from Ed, not me. A few days later, my mother called Ed with another question and he promptly called her back. All too often, it is very difficult to get in contact with medical personnel after surgery. The patient seems to be forgotten. That is not the case with Dr. Elowitz and Ed Butler. They make their patients very comfortable and assure them that they are always available for problems or questions.

Mar 27 2025 1:48 PM Thank you Dr. Spiegel for the…read moreexceptional care I received today fot a median nerve block procedure.The entire process was handled seamlessly. Your gentle touch, warm sense of humor and interest in your patients, immediately put me at ease with minimal discomfort. A big thanks to Gwen for a gentle hand to hold. I began feeling relief immediately and could have walked 2 miles if given no restrictions. Special thanks also to Samatha & Zara as we move forward in a Pain Management Plan.

Great doctor explains everything answers all questions and very professional love the fact they…read morestay open pretty late so I didn't have to miss a days work

I had what should have been a routine discectomy with Dr. Lebl. One week after surgery my back…read morelooked like the skin had been attached to the wrong place (not just according to me, according to a plastic surgeon I consulted). Dr Lebl insisted this was normal and it would 'resolve' itself. 5 weeks after surgery the skin had come loose and filled with fluid (a seroma, extremely rare in properly done discectomies), which started leaking and got infected, necessitating a second surgery after which I carried around a blood bag and a suction machine for 2 weeks. In order to re-close the wound properly the plastic surgeon had to pull paraspinal muscles over my spinal column and now I have a significant and permanent lump on my lumbar spine. After the first surgery Dr Lebl did not follow up with me unless I called him or emailed him multiple times. After week 1 (at which point he had seen the wound closure) he didn't follow up at all. At no point did he ever mention that a seroma was a possibility or that I should be careful. If he had it's possible this wouldn't have happened, or it could have been caught before it started leaking and got infected. Throughout the entire process he was unresponsive, unsympathetic and seemingly uninterested in anything I was going through. There are many wonderful orthopedic surgeons in NYC - do what I wish I had, and pick anyone other than Dr. Lebl.

I had A horrific car accident in 2018 was beyond petrified to have the neck surgery due to four…read moreherniations and a pinched nerve in my neck, interviewed eight Spinal surgeons the moment I met Dr. Lebl I felt I was in good hands. I had the surgery on election day of 2022 was released the next day. had zero pain in my neck from the surgery. It took me four years to get the courage to have the surgery wish I would've met Dr. level from the beginning

Being in chronic pain for years and after trying non invasive treatment for my back pain, my pain…read moremanagement specialist referred me to a neurosurgeon and recommended Dr. Kai Ming Fu at Weill Cornell Center for Comprehensive Spine Care. I was required to send all my medical history records, including an original MRI disc. After reviewing all the required documents, including my referral, he had his patient coordinator call me to tell me I don't need surgery and to seek a pain management specialist. I reiterated that I was referred to him by a pain management specialist. She said she'd call back and hours later I was given an appointment and was told I need to get an X-ray prior. I was skeptical to actually confirm the appointment due to the confusion and not addressing it, yet I figured we all screw up now and then. I should have went with my gut. Day of appointment, a bad pain day btw, I show up on time, do my X-ray, having to sit twice before it was done, then went to Dr Fu's office and waited for over an hour. When I finally saw Dr, I get no apology or greeting. He says that after reviewing X-ray and notes, I don't need surgery and to seek a pain management specialist. Again, I reiterated the situation to which he says it's not a good idea to do surgery as it's not worth the risk, blah blah, not addressing my confusion due to his unprofessionalism. I felt ignored and treated like a fool I asked for a good pain mgmt specialist since my last one exhausted his options. Of course I was recommended me to someone in his office, a 'specialist' with terrible reviews on both Yelp and Google. Adding further damage, they never gave me my original disc back after dismissing me. I had to ask for it. The front desk said I could either come back (and waste another day) and pick it up or they could mail it to me. That was in March. For over 2 months now I've called repeatedly, at least 4 times, asking for them to mail me my disc. Every time I called, someone said that it was waiting to be picked up when I specifically said, initially, as well as every time I spoke to someone, that I never said I was coming to pick it up, and I wanted it to be mailed to me as soon as possible because I need it in order to seek other professional help for my back pain. The next day, I get a 'Cornell portal' email notification and to view it, I have to waste time signing into a link. I see the note that states that it was mailed stating it was waiting to be picked up and it was mailed USPS to my home (see below). That was almost 3 weeks ago and I still have not received my disc. Their office is less than 9 miles away. I could have walked there and back yet I never got any mail from them. Due to their incompetence, I had to reschedule appointments because I have no MRI disc and now I have to go to where I obtained my original disc and pay a $25 fee for a duplicate, because of the incompetence of this facility and employees. I've wasted countess hours, compiling info, making calls, going to appointments, etc. I've wasted money, a co-pay for a specialist and a copay for an X-ray and the fee I now have to pay to get another disc. And I've wasted precious time that could be spent on finding a facility that cares more about their clients and that can help me rather than cause me anxiety. With so many people in one office being so careless, I can't imagine how careless they could be with the patients that ARE in their care. Everyone's health is important, and deserve a professionals time and respect. We should seek medical professionals that treat us better than this! There are many other doctors, especially in NYC so I strongly suggest DO NOT waste your time and money with Dr. Kai Ming Fu. Neither he, or any of the many coordinators consider why people are seeking his help. Evidently, they don't consider their patients' needs. It's just a money making business. I complained to the establishment and plan to copy and paste this review to all social media sites and medical review sites for all to be forwarded, as I wish I was forewarned.

Prior to surgery the doctor advised trying pain management and some physical therapy. A year later…read moreI knew this wasn't working so I decided to have an office visit with Dr Fu. I came by his name because my sister has had multiple spinal surgeries and knew him well. After I had several MR's and x-rays it was determined I needed decompression and fusion to L 2,3,4. I am 3 weeks after surgery now and my pain level went from9-10 before the surgery to 2-3 now which I relate to the normal healing pain. I look forward to some physical therapy and expect my condition to greatly improve. Thank you Dr Fu for relieving the pain I've had for more than 20 years. He was thorough, explained everything in detail and his staff was wonderful. I can't say enough about all the people involved in my medical treatment. I feel like I got my life back.

I called to confirm an appointment on a 12 week checkup, no one could tell me anything. They told…read moreme I cancelled my appointment. They then say they have been calling me to verify something for weeks, but I have no calls, no messages. I then spoke with Kathy, the office manager, and she was nothing but rude, condescending, dismissive and had an excuse for every short coming on the offices behalf. Never an apology or even acknowledgment just trying to pass blame. I would advise to stay away from this practice, they are very unorganized and try their best to pinch every penny they can out of each client.

I made an appointment for 3 pm. I had all of my paperwork done prior to arrival at 2:50. I waited…read morein the lobby for 15 minutes before going into a room. I am still in the room right now and it is 3:53 and the doctor hasn't come in. I know my time isn't as valuable as his - and perhaps there's an emergency- but still... I feel slighted and disrespected. Edit: Finally got seen. Nice doctor, professional and kind. Office manager apologized for the inconvenience which was also kind. Just a crazy day and I was at the center of it. I would recommend.