Spine

Healthcare policy and spine surgery trends were among topics drawing interest from Becker's Spine Review readers.

Novartis is in the trial phase for a new experimental medicine that has shown promise in improving motor function in children with a form of spinal muscular atrophy, according to a Dec. 30 report from The Detroit News.

In November, the Lown Institute released a report breaking down key statistics on unnecessary spine and back procedures nationwide. 

Here are four new spine patents that have been secured so far in 2024: 

Columbia (S.C.) VA Health Care System has performed its first spinal cord stimulation implantation, which aims to provide relief for chronic pain patients. 

A neurosurgeon and spine surgeon in Naples, Fla., is working on a breakthrough in spinal fusion surgery, according to a Dec. 16 report by WINK.

Back and spine surgeries are among the most common operations in the state of Florida, but they are also among the most unnecessary, according to a Dec. 23 report from the Sun Sentinel.

Kingsley Chin, MD, had money laundering charges against him dismissed by a Massachusetts federal judge, according to a Dec. 20 news release.

Ali Baaj, MD, is joining Northwestern Medicine in Chicago in 2025, he said in a Dec. 20 LinkedIn post.

In early December, New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health became the first system in New York state to offer the Teligen spine surgical system, in a procedure led by Daniel Sciubba, MD, senior vice president of neurosurgery at Northwell and…