Spine

Spine surgeons often spend time volunteering within their communities to provide medical care and for other causes. Five spine surgeons told Becker's how they serve others outside of work.

The San Francisco Giants' Luis González had surgery to repair a disc in his lower back, The Mercury News reported March 14.

As spine procedure volumes grew in the last 20 years, reimbursements have dipped, researchers found in an analysis.

South Lake Tahoe, Calif.-based Barton Health has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval in spine surgery and knee and hip joint replacement, according to a March 11 report from SouthTahoeNow.

From the first augmented reality surgery in Richmond, Va., to a surgery using a 3D-printed custom implant, here are five spine surgery milestones Becker's has reported on since March 1:

Sherwin Hua, MD, a spine surgeon at Stevenson Surgery Center in Fremont, Calif., has performed the first case in the U.S. using Taiwan Main Orthopedic Biotechnology's Caduceus S augmented reality spine navigation system. 

Anup Gangavalli, MD, of OrthoVirginia, completed the first augmented reality spine surgery in Richmond, Va., the North Chesterfield-based practice said in a March 8 LinkedIn post.

The NeuroSpinal Institute of Broward (Fla.) has moved into an expanded, 5,011-square-foot medical office space, upsizing from its previous 2,000-square-foot location, according to a March 9 report from the South Florida Business Journal.

New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery has identified several key patient indicators that can predict which patients may not improve, or in some cases worsen, following minimally invasive lumbar spine surgery. 

Below is a list of 10 spine surgeons who have made a positive impact on their organizations and the specialty.