Here are nine spine and neurosurgeons making the news this week.
Mark Liker, MD, assistant clinical professor of neurological surgery at Los Angeles-based Keck School of Medicine at USC and founder and CEO of the California Neurological Institute, spoke to Becker's about cost-effectiveness in spinal fusion and emerging trends in the field.
Four spine and neurosurgeons shared their thoughts on how the healthcare industry is covered in the media. They included Brian R. Gantwerker, MD, Scott Russo, MD, Plas James, MD, and Issada Thongtrangan, MD.
Richard Lee, MD, of Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine, Calif., performed a cervical spine revision surgery to fix a C1 ring that flipped horizontally to rest on a patient's C2 vertebrae. The surgery involved realigning the patient's head and neck back to the original angle and accessing the spine through an incision in the mouth, which carries a significant risk of infection.
Newark, Ohio-based Orthopedic Specialists & Sports Medicine welcomed fellowship-trained spine surgeon Benjamin Burkett, MD, to its surgical staff. Dr. Burkett specializes in spinal deformity reconstruction and minimally invasive surgery as well as cervical, thoracic and lumbar fusions.
Anthony Leone, MD, pleaded guilty to writing himself illegal prescriptions for pain medication. Dr. Leone allegedly obtained Adderall XR, hydrocodone, clonazepam, tramadol and zolpidem in bulk and told investigators the painkillers were for patients after they uncovered them in a search of his office.
Farmington-based UConn Health launched a seven-year residency in neurological surgery with Hartford (Conn.) Hospital and Connecticut's Children's Medical Center with Ketan Bulsara, MD, chief of the division of neurosurgery, serving as director of the program.