Steven Zielinski, MD, was reportedly the first spine surgeon in the U.S. to perform a lumbar spinal fusion that fuses two biocompatible polymer stabilization devices, The Marlin Democrat reports.
The procedure consists of an oblique lumbar interbody fusion and a posterior fusion — neither of which contain screws or metal.
The new approach decreases the quantity of hardware implanted in the body, resulting in less blood loss and less trauma to the spine.
Dr. Zielinski, founder of Waco-based Texas Spine & Neurosurgery, hopes the approach can be used to correct scoliosis in the near future.