Roger Hartl, MD, director of spinal surgery and neurotrauma at Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center in New York City and director of the Weill Cornell Medicine Center for Comprehensive Spine Care, offers two key thoughts on where spine surgery is headed in the future, including technology and practice trends.
His thoughts are lightly edited for clarity.
1. The most important spine technology trend for 2018 is biologics, including stem cells. There is very little data on this right now, but practitioners will continue to push the envelope and treat. Better trials and data are needed, however.
2. The best opportunity for spine surgeons this year will be integrating spinal surgical care in the multispecialty practice setting. The times of solo practitioners are over. Targeted minimally invasive surgery has lots to offer for most spinal pathologies. This requires, however, accurate diagnosis and effective aftercare, rehab and lifestyle modification in the interdisciplinary setting.