From a milestone lumbar disc replacement to the first augmented reality-assisted pediatric spine surgery completed in the U.S., here are five spine surgery "firsts" that Becker's has reported on in the past 30 days:
1. Christopher Good, MD, of Reston-based Virginia Spine Institute performed the first two-level lumbar disc replacement in the Washington, D.C., area using the ActiveL artificial disc.
2. Joel Siegal, MD, completed the first procedure with Orthofix's Forza Ti Spacer, a 3D-printed implant for posterior lumbar interbody fusion.
3. Justin Bundy, MD, performed the first AR-assisted pediatric spine surgery in the country using Augmedics' Xvision spine system at Doctors Hospital of Augusta (Ga.).
4. Paul Asdourian, MD, and Paul McAfee, MD, became the first spine surgeons in the mid-Atlantic region to perform a lateral lumbar interbody fusion with Globus Medical's ExcelsiusGPS.
5. Woodbury, Minn.-based Summit Orthopedics' Eagan Surgery Center was the first ASC in the state to perform spine surgery with the Mazor X Stealth Edition.