Cyril A Raben, MD

If anyone has any information on how to actually contact this "doctor".. please contact me. I have tried all phone numbers found for him on google search, and they either belong to someone else, or have been disconnected. I tried the office in Wooster OH, and was told that he left their practice very suddenly, leaving no forwarding information.

I had back surgery in 2011. I am in constant pain. My experience with Dr. Raben was the worst I've EVER had with a doctor. Of course, if you don't mind being preached to incessantly, made to wait for 90 minutes for him to stroll in for your appointment and dealing with an arrogant little man, by all means make an appointment with him!

Great Physician

Do not trust this doctor!! He has completely disabled me and I can no longer work, or do the activites I could before he cut me up. I am in constant pain and my quality of life is poor. I have went to other doctors, but they tell me Raben messed me up so bad there is no way to fix the damage he has done. If there is a Civil Suit going on out there against him, I would like to be in on it. He ruined my life, yet he goes on like nothing happened. I have met lots of people that are "Raben screwed ups" who trusted him, and now they have no life.

As nurse I understand excellent doctors often have wait times more than 15 minutes and that it is not always a good sign if you can get right in with a doctor. I did not follow my own advice. When being served by Dr Raben. I found him to be rude after surgery complications he caused and that he falsified that I received pre- op education that I did not receive . If I had chance to have the surgery again . I would not choose Dr. Raben as a surgeon nor his office staff who were equally rude and unhelpful after I had surgery complications.

I was referred to Raben by a trusted family practice doctor. Raben, an Orthopedic Surgeon who specializes in Spine Surgery recomended fusion surgery on my neck to restore height to two severely degenerative discs at C5-6 and C6-7. This was to open up the nerve outlets to relieve impingement and as I understood, the bony growths would be removed In 2006, Raben performed a two level anterior discectomy and fusion using autograft bone from my iliac crest. This was supposed to be the "Gold Standard" for fusion without complications such as failure of the union, broken hardware (plates/screws).Post surgical x-rays indicated that the plate was not flush with the anterior vertebral bodies. In fact, Raben did not remove large osteophytes (bone spurs) that prohibited the plate from being tightened down flush to the C5, C6, and C7 vertebral bodies. Gaps of 1/8" to 1/4" were observed by post-op x-rays between the plate and each vertebral body. This spacing did not allow the bone, plate, and fasteners to form a solid union, causing excessive movement between the vertebrae and graft bone. Failure to immobilize the vertebral bodies and graft bone resulted in pseudoarthrosis. Fatigue resulting from excessive movement subsequently caused breakage of the screw fastening the plate to the C6 vertebrae, complete failure of the two tapped holes drilled into the C5 vertebral body allowing the plate, still loosely fastened to the C7 vertebral body, to fall forward into contact with the esophagus, potentially eroding the esophageal tissue.The x-rays showing the loose hardware at about 2 weeks post surgery but prior to failure were viewed only by Dr. Raben as far as I know. I completed the physical therapy and was given a home routine to do. Raben and his office failed to notify me and schedule a second post operative exam where the failure of the hardware and fusion would have been discovered.Instead, after about a year post op, with no improvement, increasing pain, and frequently waking up at night with complete paralysis/numbness of my right arm, I asked my family practice doctor to refer me to a neurosurgeon to put a fresh set of eyes on the problem. It was this Neurosurgeon who upon requesting new x-rays, MRI and CT scan as well as the surgical report and Raben's post op x-rays discovered the failed surgery and improper installation of the hardware that led to it's failure.Revision surgery by a competent neurosurgeon with allograft bone repaired the failed fusion surgery with no further complications and no need for another invasive hip surgery to harvest my own bone. Post operative x-rays of the second surgery show how the first surgery should have been performed, with removal of the anterior bone spurs and proper fitting of the hardware so the three vertebrae and the donor bone grafts formed a solid union. This solid union is necessary so that there is very little to no movement of the vertebral bodies during bone remodeling. In fact, after the second surgery, the pain subsided so quickly that I was only off work for 2 weeks (desk work only) and required no formal physical therapy. During the year Raben performed this surgery, he apparently had a poor outcome to other surgeries. Newspaper reported one woman filing for malpractice after he performed three consecutive surgeries within a month and left her partially paralyzed. Sach Oliver of Bentonville, AR was the litigator and was evaluating a class action against Raben in 2008.

I needed help with pain, and he and his staff worked with me, and kept me working, and able to keep my life together from day to day, his theripist

In July 1995, Dr. Raben operated on my spine. I was in severe pain, couldn't hardly walk. It has been 14 years, like brand new. I thank GOD for Dr. Raben.