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Gender concordance between patient and surgeon may not affect mortality rates, study finds

New research finds little evidence that post-surgical patient mortality is lower when patient and surgeon are the same gender.

22 Nov 2023

Intraoperative 3D imaging more effective in confirming the accuracy of pedicle screw placement during spine surgery

A study at Hospital for Special Surgery found that intraoperative three-dimensional (3D) imaging was superior to two-dimensional radiographs in confirming the accuracy of pedicle screw placement during spine surgery.

7 Mar 2023

Cedars-Sinai receives $2 million CIRM grant to combat lower back pain

Investigators at Cedars-Sinai have received a $2 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to develop a new cell therapy that helps improve quality of life for patients with degenerated discs and chronic lower back pain.

28 Feb 2023

Mercy Medical Center secures top rank from Healthgrades for surgical care in Maryland

Mercy Medical Center ranks #1 in Maryland for Surgical Care and among the Top 5 hospitals in the state for both Joint Replacement and Orthopedic Surgery, Dr. David N. Maine, President and CEO of Mercy Health Services, has announced.

18 Jan 2023

Weighing risks of a major surgery: 7 questions older Americans should ask their surgeon

Larry McMahon, who turns 80 this month, is weighing whether to undergo a major surgery. Over the past five years, his back pain has intensified. Physical therapy, muscle relaxants, and injections aren't offering relief.

3 Jan 2023

Study: Pelvic fixation may not be necessary in some children with cerebral palsy and scoliosis

A new Michigan Medicine study finds that some children with cerebral palsy and scoliosis do not require pelvic fixation when undergoing growing rod treatment, potentially avoiding several complications.

18 Apr 2022

Optical sensing can address unmet clinical needs in orthopedic surgery

Knees and hips wear out. Backs and necks become unstable. Fortunately, orthopedic surgeons specialize in musculoskeletal repair.

6 Jan 2022

Growth-friendly surgeries have more complications than spinal fusion in kids treated with severe scoliosis

A Michigan Medicine study found that preadolescent children with severe neuromuscular scoliosis who are treated with growth-friendly surgery prior to spinal fusion have more complications and unplanned subsequent surgeries than those who only have the spinal fusion.

30 Dec 2021

Crash course: Injured patients who sign ‘letters of protection’ may face huge medical bills and risks

Jean Louis-Charles couldn't afford spine surgery to ease nagging neck and back pain after a car crash. So he signed a document, promising to pay the bill with money he hoped to get from a lawsuit against the driver who caused the collision.

21 Dec 2021

Innovative artificial neural network can accurately detect radiographic sacroiliitis

New research presented this week at ACR Convergence, the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting, found that an innovative new artificial neural network can detect radiographic sacroiliitis in patients with suspected axial spondyloarthritis, a progressive disease that is more common in young adults.

2 Nov 2021

Discovery could lead to new treatments for axial spondyloarthritis

In a paper published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine, researchers at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute, part of University Health Network in Toronto, have made a discovery that could lead to new treatments for axial spondyloarthritis (SpA), a painful and debilitating form of arthritis which affects 1-2% of Canadians and causes inflammation in the spine, joints, eyes, gut and skin.

20 Oct 2021

$'Fractionated' radiation therapy for spinal tumors helps prevent vertebral compression fractures$

'Fractionated' radiation therapy for spinal tumors helps prevent vertebral compression fractures

In an animal study published Oct. 1, 2021, in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have provided evidence that treating spinal tumors with "fractionated" radiation therapy — doses given in a series of sessions rather than a single treatment — helps prevent vertebral compression fractures.

7 Oct 2021

Researchers assess robotic and navigation assisted pedicle screw placement in degenerative spinal surgery

The use of robotics and computer navigation in spinal surgery is rapidly expanding. Increasing numbers of hospitals and spine surgeons are adopting the technology, which aims to enhance precision, accuracy and predictability, according to Darren R. Lebl, MD, MBA, a spine surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery.

2 Sep 2021

Surgeons cash in on stakes in private medical device companies

Several orthopedic surgeons who invested in Renovis Surgical Technologies made big money when a Japanese technology giant snatched up the small California medical device company.

10 Aug 2021

Injuries mount as sales reps for device makers cozy up to surgeons, even in operating rooms

Cristina Martinez's spinal operation in Houston was expected to be routine. But after destabilizing her spine, the surgeon discovered the implant he was ready to put in her back was larger than he wanted to use — and the device company’s sales rep didn’t have a smaller size on hand, according to a report he filed about the operation.

9 Aug 2021

4D printing strategy helps fabricate biomimetic microchannel scaffold for spinal fusion

Spinal fusion is frequently performed to restore spinal stability in patients with spinal diseases, such as spinal stenosis, vertebral fractures, progressive deformities, and instability.

5 May 2021

Spinal fusion procedures have unacceptably low hospital “rankability"

Routinely collected data on patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery do not provide a valid basis for assessing and comparing hospital performance on patient safety outcomes, reports a study in Spine. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

9 Apr 2021