Kamal Woods, MD, of Kettering (Ohio) Medical Center, performed a first-of-its-kind surgery on a patient with a severe neck deformity. The deformity forced the patient's head to lean at such an angle where his ear touched his shoulder.
Here are five highlights:
1. Dr. Woods commented in a press release, "I had never seen anything quite like it before. I reviewed medical literature and could not find any mention of a similar case. We had to go back to the drawing board."
2. Dr. Woods, who serves Kettering Health Network's Brain and Spine Center medical director, created a three-stage surgery plan.
3. To straighten the spine, Dr. Woods broke the patient's spine in four places.
4. The patient's condition improved "immensely" following the surgery.
5. Dr. Woods completed his minimally invasive and complex spine surgery fellowship at Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.