6 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 9
S
ame-day
spine is one
of surgery's
hottest spe-
cialties
thanks to several new
technologies that are
making complex surger-
ies simpler for surgeons,
more accurate and safer
to perform, and less
painful for patients. Let's
look at the exciting devel-
opments that are helping
to push more procedures
to outpatient ORs.
• Restoring vertebrae
height. Vertebroplasty
and balloon kyphoplasty,
the two most common
treatments of vertebral
compression fractures, have inherent drawbacks, according to Robert
E. Jacobson, MD, a neurosurgeon and spine specialist with OMNI
Spine Center in Miami, Fla.
Vertebroplasty involves injecting cement to stabilize vertebrae
fractures. The treatment works in a high percentage of patients
Daniel Cook | Executive Editor
Trends to Watch in Spine Surgery
There are neat new options for fixing
fractures, fusing bone and replacing discs.
• SIDE ANGLE Joseph Blythe, MD, performs an oblique lumbar interbody
fusion (OLIF), a procedure that requires a smaller incision and less dissection
than the anterior approach.
Joseph
Blythe,
MD