Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon
Adult and Pediatric Spine Surgery
Dr. Le grew up in Orange County, California. As a young boy, he was involved in sports and decided early on that he wanted to become an orthopaedic surgeon to combine his love for both sports and the sciences.
After earning a Bachelor of Science in Physiological Science at UCLA, he travelled to the Ohio State University to obtain his Doctor of Medicine degree. At Ohio State, Dr. Le excelled in academics and was voted into the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha honors society and graduated with Cum Laude honors, while also managing to meet his future wife.
After medical school, Dr. Le returned to California to complete his orthopaedic residency at UC Irvine Medical Center. During residency, Dr. Le discovered his passion for spinal surgery and published numerous book chapters and evidence-based articles in the field of spinal surgery.
Dr. Le then travelled to Miami, Florida to complete his training in spinal surgery at one of the most prestigious training centers for spine, at the Jackson Memorial and University of Miami Hospitals. There, he trained with both renowned spine and neurosurgery faculty, most notably with Dr. Frank Eismont. The scope of his training included degenerative, traumatic, infectious, deformity, and tumor disorders of the spine, as well as minimally invasive spinal surgery. In addition, Dr. Le was able to obtain additional training in pediatric spinal surgery by working with Dr. Harry Shufflebarger, a leader in the field of pediatric scoliosis.
Dr. Le prides himself in treating every patient like family. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter and playing sports, such as tennis and basketball.
Hospital Affiliations
- Long Beach Memorial Hospital
- Orange Coast Memorial Hospital
- Community Hospital Long Beach
- Hoag Presbyterian / Hoag Orthopaedic Institute
- Chapman Medical Center
Education
- Orthopaedic Adult and Pediatric Spine Fellowship
University of Miami/Jackson Memorial/Miami Children’s Hospitals - Orthopaedic Residency
University of California, Irvine Medical Center
Executive Chief - Ohio State University College of Medicine M.D.
University of California, Los Angeles B.S. in Physiological Science
Licensure
- American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Part 1: Pass Part 2: Pass
- California Medical Board Licensure (A110392)
- Florida Medical Board Licensure (TRN18710)
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Certification
- Basic Life Support (BLS) Healthcare Provider Certification
Associations
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- North American Spine Society
Honors/Awards
- Medical School:
Alpha Omega Alpha
Outstanding Academic Merit Scholarships
Phi Kappa Phi
Master of Teaching Award
Cum Laude
Dr. Vu H Le has won 3 awards
- On-Time Doctor Award (2018, 2016, 2017, 2015)
- Patients’ Choice Award (2018, 2016, 2015, 2017)
- Compassionate Doctor Recognition (2017, 2018, 2016)
Areas Of Expertise
- Spinal Stenosis
- Disc Herniation
- Spondylolisthesis
- Spondylolysis
- Fractures
- Spinal Deformity
- Tumors
- Infections
- Adult and Pediatric Scoliosis
- Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS)
- Kyphoplasty
- Joint Disorder
Research
Publications:
- Bederman S, Le VH, Pahlavan S. “An Approach to Lumbar Revision Spine Surgery in Adults.” JAAOS 2016.
- Le VH, Heckmann N, Jain N, Wang L, Turner AW, Lee TQ, Bederman SS. “Biomechanical evaluation of supplemental percutaneous lumbo-sacro-iliac screws to spinopelvic fixation following total sacrectomy.” J Spinal Disord Tech. 2015 May;28(4):E181-5.
- Lee J, Le VH, Steinhoff AK, Hoang BH. “Vascular tumor in metal-on-polyethylene total hip arthroplasty requiring hemipelvectomy.” Orthopaedics. 2013;36:e974-977.
- Bederman S, Le VH, Pahlavan S, Kiester D, Bhatia N, Deviren V. “Approach to revision spine surgery using lateral access approach.” The Scientific World Journal. Vol 2012. Article ID 308209.
- Le VH, Bhatia N. “Minimally invasive cervical spine surgery.” ICL 61
- Le VH, Bhatia N. “Spine trauma: Low lumbar spine (L3-5).” Springer. Spine Surgery Basics (Patel/Patel/Harrop/Burger).
- Le VH, Bederman S. “Surgical management of low back pain and degenerative spinal disorders.” Intech. Low Back Pain
- Le, VH, Bederman S. “Surgical management of cervical spine injuries.” Academy Publish. Spinal Cord and Nerve Injury
- Le VH, Bhatia N, Bederman S. “Complications of instrumentation in cervical spondyloarthropathy.” Editors Vaccaro/Kim/Radcliff. Complications of Spinal Instrumentation.
- Le VH, Lebwohl N. “History of spondylolisthesis: Early diagnosis and management.” Springer. Editors Wollowick/Sarwahi. Spondylolisthesis: Diagnosis, Non-Surgical Management, and Surgical Techniques.
- Danko, M., Le, V., Todd, C., Waylonis, G. “Use of Vibration-Assisted Exercise in Fibromyalgia Patients.” Amer J of Phys Med & Rehab. Mar 2006; Vol 83; Number 3: 251.
Presentations
- Pahlavan S, Le V, Gottlieb J. “Implication of the segmental vessels during lateral lumbar interbody fusion.” NASS Summer Meeting, Miami, July ‘16
- Le VH, Gottlieb J, Pahlavan S, Ruiz A, Eismont F. “Anatomical consideration of the iliolumbar venous system during lateral lumbar interbody fusion.” LSRS, Chicago, April ‘15
- Le VH; Jain N; Heckmann N; Wang L; Bederman S; Turner A; Lee TQ. “Biomechanical evaluation of supplemental percutaneous lumbo-sacroiliac screws following total sacrectomy.” AAOS, New Orleans, March ‘14
- Le VH; Aminian A; Heckmann N; Wang L; Bhatia N; Lee TQ. “Biomechanical evaluation of sublaminar polyester bands versus pedicle screws posterior spinal fixation in an adolescent idiopathic scoliosis model.” AAOS, Chicago, March ‘13
- Le VH; Aminian A; Heckmann N; Wang L; Bhatia N; Lee TQ. “Biomechanical evaluation of single versus dual rod posterior spinal fixation in an adolescent idiopathic scoliosis model.” OREF, Orange, CA, June ‘12
- National Conference-AAP 2006 Annual Meeting, Daytona Beach, Fl, March ’06
“Use of Vibration-Assisted Exercise in Fibromyalgia Patients”
Projects in progress
- Le VH; Holleran AM; Aminian A; Heckmann N. “Comparison of periapical polyester bands versus pedicle screws in hybrid constructs for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.”
- Bederman S; Le VH, Pahlavan S; Berven S. “Revision surgery in the degenerative lumbar spine.”
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This is a young patient with arm pain and weakness due to herniated discs in the neck. After failing conservative treatment, Dr. Le performed a new technique of replacing the discs instead of fusing it to preserve motion in the neck.
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“Before & After” x-rays of Scoliosis patients that had surgery with Dr. Vu Le. Their results were phenomenal!
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Patient had prior surgeries with another doctor in the past and was unable to stand upright to look straight ahead due to her head not being lined up with the center of gravity, as depicted by the green line (base of the neck) not being near the red circle (center of gravity) on the picture to the left. This caused the patient to have a lot of back pain as the spinal malalignment placed significant strain on the muscles to try to keep her upright. Dr. Le performed a special osteotomy, or cutting of the spinal bone, to realign her spine so that her head is now in line with the center of gravity, as depicted by the green line hovering near the red circle on the picture to the right.
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Before and after pictures of a patient who was not able to stand straight up due to loss of curvature of the spine along with leg pain from pinched nerves. Dr. Le gave him more curvature and freed up the nerves so he can walk and stand up straight.
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A busy mother of three tripped and fell, resulting in a displaced fracture of her tibia. Dr. Le did surgery within one week of the fracture and the patient is healing well. She continues to do therapy and is glad to be walking again to care for her children. Thank you Dr. Le!
