A neurosurgeon at Northwell’s Staten Island (N.Y.) University Hospital has performed the first total posterior spine system procedure in Staten Island, N.Y., according to a July 15 report from SI Advance.
Ronit Gilad, MD, chair of neurosurgery at SIUH’s Ocean Breeze campus, performed the TOPS procedure, which is an alternative to spinal fusion and helps preserve motion for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis and instability.
The TOPS implant device replaces the damaged posterior elements of the spine while preserving the patient’s natural range of motion. Another benefit of the procedure is that it reduces the risk of adjacent segment disease, which is a common complication of spinal fusion surgeries.
Approved by the FDA in 2023, the device is not yet widely available, making SIUH one of the only hospitals in the region to offer the procedure, the report said.
