Sylvain Palmer, MD, a neurosurgeon at St. Joseph Health Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, Calif., discusses the key technology advancements to watch for in the next few years.
Question: What emerging technology or technique do you think will have the biggest impact on the spine field five years from now?
Dr. Sylvain Palmer: There are two emerging technologies which will have an impact on spine surgery over the next five years. The first is endoscopic spine surgery to expand the reach of minimally invasive techniques in spine surgery and move more of spine surgery to the ambulatory surgery centers. The second is robotics to improve the accuracy of implant placement.
Q: What do you think will fade or disappear from the spine field over the next few years?
SP: Maximally invasive open spinal procedures will only be performed when absolutely necessary in the future to decrease the cost burden and functional burden of spinal surgery.
Q: Where do you see the biggest room for innovation in spine? What do you need to provide better care that doesn't currently exist?
SP: The future of spine will be in biologics such as stem cells, growth factors and genetic interventions to more effectively treat or possibly even reverse the genetic cascade.
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