Spine

Before some patients meet a spine surgeon, they have already watched the operation. They have seen a laminectomy demonstrated on TikTok, watched surgical instruments at work and heard physicians explain why the operation they thought they needed may not be…

Researchers at New York City-based Weill Cornell Medicine and Hospital for Special Surgery identified stem cells that may contribute to ligament overgrowth in lumbar spinal stenosis, according to a study published Sept. 7 in Cell. Researchers found more of the…

Spine surgery has spent years getting smaller. David J. Park, MD, is interested in what happens when there is eventually less surgery to perform at all. Dr. Park, a clinical assistant professor of neurosurgery at Stanford (Calif.) University School of…

Aurora-based University of Colorado Anschutz received a $50 million gift to expand its cerebrospinal fluid leak program. The anonymous gift will support expanding clinical capacity, recruiting physician-scientists, advancing research, supporting innovation, enhancing physician education and developing infrastructure for spinal CSF…

Pasquale Montesano, MD, still trains hard enough that some mornings he wants to go back to bed afterward. At 73, the orthopedic spine surgeon practices Jiu-Jitsu, does 80 push-ups and about 30 squats a day, and continues operating. For Dr.…

An augmented reality surgical navigation system placed pedicle screws with a positional error of 1.1 mm and an angular error of 1.3° in a cadaveric study published June 30 in the Journal of Spine Surgery. Researchers evaluated OnPoint Surgical’s OnPoint…

For decades, spine surgery has relied heavily on patient-reported outcome measures such as pain scores, the Oswestry Disability Index and the Neck Disability Index to assess treatment success. These instruments remain important and are deeply embedded in clinical research, regulatory…

The North American Spine Society recognized five spine leaders this year for their contributions to research, clinical care, advocacy and international education. NASS offers six annual recognition awards named for founding members and key contributions to the field; the Past…

Joanna Kemp, MD, spent nearly a year preparing for an operation she may never perform again. The anatomy was extraordinarily rare. Two 2-year-old girls were conjoined at the head, with shared vascular structures that would have to be mapped and…

Minimally invasive spine surgery keeps redefining itself — not just through new technique, but through new arguments about what “minimally invasive” should even mean. In 2026, that tension is playing out everywhere from CMS payment rules to the operating room…