Here are five spine surgeries for patients with high stakes and miraculous recoveries.
If you would like to recommend additions to this list, contact Laura Dyrda at ldyrda@beckershealthcare.com.
The spine surgery that saved a former Major Leaguer's life
In 2009, then-L.A. Angeles catcher Jon Wilhite suffered internal decapitation in a car crash that killed three others including his teammate Nick Adenhart. This injury is almost always fatal, according to an OC Register report, and when the person lives, they almost always suffer quadriplegia. But Mr. Wilhite was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center after the accident where Nitin Bhatia, MD, performed a five hour surgical procedure that reconnected his spine with a titanium plate, rods and screws. He is Orange County's first internal decapitation survivor and is able to move. Mr. Wilhite has spent the past few years recovering from the incident and to memorialize the work, has Dr. Nitin Bhatia's signature tattooed at the C3 vertebra next to the date he underwent surgery.
The baseball player that returned after a spinal injury diving into 1st
David Cooper did what some would say is never necessary; he dove into first base while playing for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2012 and suffered a debilitating spine injury that left surgeons telling him he'd never play again — at least not without surgery. He had a herniated disc compressing and severely deforming his thoracic spinal cord, which could leave him paralyzed. The issue was, traditional spine surgery likely would also force retirement. Instead, he went to see Curtis Dickman, MD, a neurosurgeon at Barrow Institute who was able to remove the herniated disc, decompress the spinal cord and insert bone grafts and other implants to fix Mr. Cooper's spine. He was among very few people who suffer thoracic spine herniated discs, which is a difficult area to access. Three months following surgery, he was able to return to baseball, signing with the Cleveland Indians.
A football career cut short by a freak injury
Johnny Knox was a rising star on the Chicago Bears football team when he suffered a hit that left structural damage to his spine. After catching a pass, the ball was poked from his hands and while diving to retrieve it Mr. Knox was hit and bent backward. It took nearly 10 minutes to gather him from the field. He underwent surgery to stabilize his lower and mid vertebra, but there was more ligament damage and nerve damage discovered during surgery. While he was able to return to function, he didn't return to play. Sradjan Mirkovic, MD, a spinal consultant for the Bears, performed surgery for Mr. Knox, who reported earlier this year that he's now able to stand and walk, according to an NFL Nation report.
The neurosurgeon who gave us John Cougar Mellencamp
Rock star John Cougar Mellencamp was born in 1951 with spina bifida at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, long before successful surgical correction for the procedure was the standard of care. However, Robert Heimburger, MD, was pioneering a surgical correction for the disorder, which he performed on Mr. Mellencamp and two other patients that year; Mr. Mellencamp was the only one who lived past adolescence. The surgery cost only $1 and was experimental at the time. Since then, Dr. Heimburger has made several contributions to the field, particularly in myelomeningocele and spinal cord tethering, high-intensity focused ultrasound for the brain and stereotactic surgery. Earlier this year, Mr. Mellencamp met with Dr. Heimburger for the first time since recovering from his surgery and the two discussed faith, according to an Ultimate Classic Rock report.
The woman whose head fell off
What began as car accident and diagnosed as whip lash eventually landed a Tennessee-based woman in the emergency room near death, with her head nearly falling from her body. Matthew McGirt, MD, then just beginning his career at Vanderbilt, responded to the call and performed a surgery that had never been done before — first healing an ulcer and the rebuilding her neck. The woman underwent a procedure to place pins in her skull and Dr. McGirt hung weights to pull her head back up over time. When there was enough space created, the woman's head was placed in a rigid halo vest. Dr. McGirt collaborated with an implant company to create a cage for the patient to replace the vertebral body and discs. He placed two rods in the back that screwed into the patient's chest and skull base, and a third to hold the head off the chest. The surgery occurred over three days and while Dr. McGirt wasn't sure the patient would survive, she not only recovered but was up and walking two days after the procedure ended.