Here are eight things for spinal surgeons to know for April 21, 2016.
ISASS names Dr. Hee Kit Wong president
International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery named Hee Kit Wong, MD, PhD, president. Dr. Wong currently serves as head of the department of orthopedic surgery and a professor of orthopedics at the National University of Singapore.
InVivo Therapeutics' study subject dies; Neuro-Spinal Scaffold not the cause
A patient enrolled into InVivo Therapeutics' INSPIRE Study, focused on spinal cord injury patients, has died due to causes unrelated to the investigational product. The patient died due to injuries from a severe motor vehicle accident. The patient was the eighth enrolled in the study.
StemCells' study on cervical SCI treatment boasts favorable mid-stage results
Newark, Calif.-based StemCells announced positive interim data from its Phase 2 study analyzing HuCNS-SC human neural stem cells in treating chronic cervical spinal cord injury. Five patients of six patients in Cohort 1 demonstrated muscle strength improvements at six months.
ASIPP appoints Dr. Aaron Calodney as president
Aaron K. Calodney, MD, is the new president of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. Dr. Calodney serves as an interventional pain management physician at Precision Spine Care in Tyler, Texas. Dr. Calodney is on ASIPP's board of directors and serves as a diplomate and examiner of the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians.
Dr. Jacques Roy found guilty in $375M home health billing fraud scheme
Jacques Roy, MD, a physician originally arrested in early 2012 in the largest home health fraud case involving a single physician, was found guilty in a suburban Texas court, according to a Medscape report. He was found guilt of various fraud charges for billing Medicare and Medicaid home health services patients didn't need, amounting to $375 million.
Correlation between number of fused levels & quality of life
A new Spine article examines the range-of-motion and health-related quality of life for cervical fusion patients. There weren't decreases in the C2-7 motion among the patients who underwent one-level fusion. For patients who had four or more levels fused, there was a 22-degree decrease in range of motion. A significant correlation existed between the number of levels fused and the health-related quality of life scores. The cervical range-of-motion and C2-7 sagittal vertical axis didn't show a significant correlation between the number of levels fused.
Pediatrics, internal medicine among the lowest-paying medical specialties
According to the "Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2016," pediatrics is the lowest-paying specialty at $204,000. Endocrinology, family medicine, HIV/infectious diseases, allergy, internal medicine, psychiatry and rheumatology also rank among the lowest-paid specialties.
US Patent Office allows Aurora Spine's ZIP ISP patent
The United States Patent and Trademark Office allowed Carlsbad, Calif.-based Aurora Spine's ZIP ISP family patent. The patent includes ZIP Ultra, ZIP 51, ZIP LP and Dyna-ZIP, among other devices. Aurora Spine has various U.S. and international patent applications pending.