Spine

The International Association of Top Professionals named Robert Holtzman, MD, a neurosurgeon at Neurological Surgery PC in New Hyde Park, N.Y., Doctor of the Decade for 2021, according to a Dec. 9 news release.

Seven spine surgeons reflect on their career and the state of the field today to offer emerging surgeons best practices for establishing themselves.

Surgeons and specialists are bracing for another challenging year as further Medicare reimbursement cuts are planned, with commercial payers likely to follow suit. 

From a spinal interbody device to augmented reality-assisted spine surgery, here are three surgeons that introduced new innovations in the past month:

Nima Salari, MD, was reportedly the first spine surgeon to implant the new 12-degree hyperlordotic dualX interbody cage after it was launched by Amplify Surgical.

Neurosurgeon Abdallah Farrukh, MD, has been re-elected to the Antelope Valley Hospital board of directors, which he has served on since 2000, according to the Antelope Valley Press.

Vertebral body tethering, also known as anterior scoliosis correction, is a minimally invasive scoliosis surgery that offers significant benefits over spinal fusion, according to Juan Rodriguez-Olaverri, MD, PhD, director of early-onset scoliosis at NYU Langone in New York City.

A new approach to spinal fusion comes with significant advantages over the traditional open method, according to Themistocles Protopsaltis, MD, chief of spine surgery and co-director of the Spine Center at NYU Langone in New York City.

An appellate court on Dec. 4 upheld an award of more than $112 million for an Indiana spine surgeon who won a royalty dispute against Medtronic, The Indiana Lawyer reports.

NYU Langone Ambulatory Care Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, N.Y., has added 10 physicians, including spine surgeon Juan Rodriguez-Olaverri, MD, PhD, according to a Dec. 4 announcement.