In the lumbar decompression, or laminectomy, surgeons will remove bone and ligament from the spine to open the spinal canal and to relieve the pressure on the nerve roots caused by the stenosis. They will also perform spinal fusion surgery to correct the misalignment of the spine, or spondylolisthesis, which occurs when one vertebra slips forward onto the vertebra below it. The surgeons will stabilize the spine by using rods, screws and a bone graft to build a bridge between the two vertebrae. The rods and screws will hold the vertebrae together until the bones are fused, which can take up to 18 months.

The surgery takes two and a half to three hours, and patients are typically in the hospital for three to five days. They receive physical therapy afterward and are usually able to resume normal activities three months after surgery, Dr. Ludwig says. "It's a very standard, straight-forward procedure," he says.

"The success rate in terms of relieving pain and improving function is close to 90 percent," Dr. Gelb says.

The webcast will originate from the "Operating Room of the Future" at the University of Maryland Medical Center. The medical center opened the nation's newest, most technologically advanced surgical facility in May 2003. Located in the medical center's new 380,000-square-foot Weinberg Building, the surgical facility houses 19 operating rooms for adult and pediatric patients.

The operating rooms combine the most advanced video and other communications equipment with information technology in order to enhance patient safety and operational efficiency. More than 16,000 surgeries are performed at the medical center each year.