Ibrahim Hussain, MD, a neurosurgeon at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medicine, has performed the first 3D navigation-guided endoscopic lumbar fusion in New York City.
Dr. Hussain is also one of few surgeons in the country that performs the procedure.
The guided procedure requires a smaller incision than traditional transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) surgeries, resulting in less blood loss and less patient muscle dissection.
Smaller incisions also allow for quicker recoveries with less pain, a shorter amount of time under sedation and a safer and more effective procedure for patients of all ages.
"This is a landmark in spine surgery and shows once again how Weill Cornell Medicine and the NewYork-Presbyterian Och Spine program are leading the way in innovative surgical techniques," Roger Hartl, MD, chief of spine surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-director of NewYork-Presbyterian Och Spine, said in a Jan. 30 press release. "We are already leaders in MIS and navigation, and this is another step forward in making complex surgery even less invasive and safer for our patients."