Search for: "spinal surgery" - 108 articles found

News • Synthetic nanofibers

Repairing cartilage damage with ‘dancing’ molecules

US researchers applied an injectable new therapy, which harnesses fast-moving “dancing molecules,” to repair damaged human cartilage cells within just 4 hours.

Article • Company showcase: Medical Taiwan 2024

Manufacturers from Taiwan present innovative products

Handheld point-of-care diagnostics, magnetic endoscopy, AI-enhanced robotic surgery, smart patient information management, wireless minimally invasive surgery systems, and much more: At the Medical Taiwan Health & Care Expo in Taipei this summer, visitors had the opportunity to see innovative medical products and solutions across a wide range of specialties. We took a closer look at selected…

Article • Medical Taiwan Health & Care Expo

Record attendance for medical solutions from Taiwan

As demand for innovative healthcare solutions is at an all-time high, Medical Taiwan once again attracted a record number of visitors for its 2024 edition. The show’s organizer, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), proudly reported an increase in attendance by 10% compared with the previous year. During the three-day event in Taipei, the audience was treated to a wide range…

News • Guidance for instrumentation

Robot assistance shows its mettle in spine surgery

Surgeons in Hong Kong have successfully introduced robotic assistance into their spinal surgery portfolio. After the first 20 procedures with the new technique, they report on the benefits.

News • Circumferential bioelectronics

A ‘wraparound’ implant to treat spinal cord injuries

A tiny, flexible electronic device that wraps around the spinal cord could represent a new approach to the treatment of spinal injuries, which can cause profound disability and paralysis.

News • Open MRI event

Experts meet to discuss spine-related imaging technologies

Weight-bearing MRI, dynamic imaging and interventional procedures are at the focus of a scientific event on advanced solutions for spine imaging, organised by Esaote S.p.A.

News • Implant and app

New device monitors bladder fullness

A new bioelectronic sensor enables continuous monitoring of bladder function. This could be a game-changer for people with paralysis, spina bifida, bladder cancer or end-stage bladder disease.

Surgical Flat Panel C-Arms

Vision RFD 3D

HighlightsBundling 2D and 3D functionality for greater intraoperative control, the Ziehm Vision RFD 3D reduces the need for postoperative CT scans and costly corrective surgeries. It is equipped with Ziehm Iterative Reconstruction to minimize fan and metal artifacts in 3D reconstruction, so far only known from CT imaging. This makes the Ziehm Vision RFD 3D ideal for high-end orthopedic,…

News • Study on gender concordance

Does it matter if surgeon and patient are the same or different gender? Not much, says study

New research finds little evidence that post-surgical patient mortality is lower when patient and surgeon are the same gender.

News • Intratumoral approach for hard-to-treat glioma

Microdevices implanted into tumor to help treat brain cancer

A new type of microdevice could offer new ways to treat brain cancer. The shape and size of a grain of rice, it is implanted into a tumor to study the effects of ongoing therapies.

News • Device and software

New prototype to take the guess work out of spinal surgery

Spinal fusion is a highly invasive surgery where an implant is placed in the spine to prevent movement between bones. Currently, failure rate is high, but a new prototype device could change this.

Article • State of the art and latest advances in technology

Robotic assistance in the operating theatre

Surgical robots are becoming widespread in operating theatres, delivering accuracy and safety. An overview of the main systems, principal operators, the market and European initiatives in this field.

Osteoconductive PEEK biomaterial for injection molding

The specialty chemicals company Evonik and the Swiss plastics specialist Samaplast are combining their expertise in the development of an osteoconductive PEEK biomaterial for injection molding.

News • Self-powered

Smart implants monitor spinal fusion healing

Spinal fusion—fusing two vertebrae together—can treat a wide variety of spinal disorders. A patient-specific 3D-printed smart metamaterial implant doubles as sensor to monitor spinal healing.

News • Medical equipment

Low-tech: just what the surgeon ordered

Medical equipment that can be manufactured at low cost, is simple to use and can be easily maintained will help extend surgery to the 5 billion people worldwide who currently cannot get access to it.

News • No more biopsies?

3D microscope reveals features in living tissues

MediSCAPE, a high-speed 3D microscope, can see real-time cellular detail in living tissues to guide surgery, speed up tissue analyses, and improve treatments.

News • In children

Treating scoliosis with vertebral body tethering

Fusion surgery has been the long-standing treatment for people with scoliosis. Now, other options have become available.

News • Pediatric patient

High-intensity focused ultrasound used for brain surgery

Children's National Hospital successfully performed the first-ever high-intensity focused ultrasound surgery on a pediatric patient with neurofibromatosis. This is the youngest patient to undergo HIFU treatment in the world.

Article • Radiology approach

Watch your back! Spinal imaging in trauma

At the BIR virtual congress, spinal imaging specialist Professor Elizabeth Dick focused on approaches and protocols for a range of spinal injuries and discussed assessment and imaging strategies, choice of modalities, and other key factors.

Article • Pre-, post- and interoperative

Wearable devices in the surgical environment

Wearable technology has become an important part of medicine, from tracking vital signs to disease diagnosis. In surgery, wearable technologies can now assist, augment, and provide a means of patient assessment before, during and after surgical procedures. Wearable technologies are applied before the patient even reaches the operating room, for example in prehabilitation, i.e. pre-treatment…

Article • Neuro- and spine surgery

Perfection in the networked OR: robot, neuro-navigation and VR headsets

At their workplace, neurosurgeons often have to make compromises since most ORs were not designed with the specific needs of their discipline in mind. To address this issue the University Hospital in Essen, Germany, equipped an OR especially for neuro- and spine surgery. The aim is nothing less than revolutionizing the field with the help of digitalisation and cutting-edge technology.

News • Virtual insights

World's first augmented reality neuromodulation spinal surgery

The first augmented reality (AR) spinal surgery in the world has taken place at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH). Surgeons at NNUH utilised the latest video technology and augmented reality (AR) googles with the assistance of a neurosurgical colleague in Wales providing extra support with a complex spinal cord stimulation procedure. The NNUH is one of the biggest neuromodulation…

Article • Women in medical R&D

Innovation depends on more than just technical skills

Cécile Geneviève is one of the few women who lead research and development (R&D) at a major company and her increasingly female team reflects women’s growing interest in the field. But while gender balance is an important criterion, it takes a broad palette of skills to innovate to alleviate pain for millions of patients, she explained in an interview with Healthcare in Europe.

News • Promising approach

Shape-changing implants could help treat severe back pain

A team of engineers and clinicians has developed an ultra-thin, inflatable device that can be used to treat the most severe forms of pain without the need for invasive surgery. The device, developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, uses a combination of soft robotic fabrication techniques, ultra-thin electronics and microfluidics.

News • Biomimetic scaffold

4D printing could enable vascularization, bone tissue regeneration, spinal fusion

Spinal fusion is frequently performed to restore spinal stability in patients with spinal diseases, such as spinal stenosis, vertebral fractures, progressive deformities, and instability. In the past two decades, there has been marked increase in the number of people over 65 years in age who have needed spinal fusion surgery.

News • Over the next decade

Robotics set to transform spinal surgery for millions

Robotics, AI, and machine learning can make spinal surgery more accurate, efficient, and safer, thereby reducing costs, patient recovery time, and radiation exposure.

Video • Perinatal imaging

Fetal MRI precisely defines and detects abnormalities in unborn babies

MRI scanning can more precisely define and detect head, neck, thoracic, abdominal and spinal malformations in unborn babies, finds a large multidisciplinary study led by King’s College London with Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital and University College London (UCL). In the study, published in Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, the team of researchers and…

News • Restoring movement and ability

Brain implants: the key to mobility after stroke?

Someone has a stroke every 40 seconds in the US, resulting in death every 4 minutes. Stroke is the leading cause of disability from a medical condition. When it happens, blood clots or bleeds kill a part of the brain – it goes dark – and can no longer control part of the body. People stop being able to walk, see, talk, or control their hand or arm the way they once did. Although treatments…

News • Brain rejuvenation

Drug reverses age-related mental decline within days

Just a few doses of an experimental drug can reverse age-related declines in memory and mental flexibility in mice, according to a new study by UC San Francisco scientists. The drug, called ISRIB, has already been shown in laboratory studies to restore memory function months after traumatic brain injury (TBI), reverse cognitive impairments in Down Syndrome, prevent noise-related hearing loss,…

News • Mobile hybrid imaging, image fusion, endovascular 3D navigation

Ziehm and Therenva present imaging solutions at RSNA 2020

At this year's virtual RSNA congress, Ziehm Imaging showcases its leading portfolio of mobile C-arms and advanced imaging solutions. Highlights on display include the Ziehm Vision RFD Hybrid Edition in combination with Therenva’s EndoNaut solution for advanced endovascular 3D intraoperative navigation as well as the Ziehm Vision RFD 3D, one of the most successful 3D mobile imaging solutions in…

Article • Report

Focused Ultrasound: 60,000+ patients worldwide received treatments

The Focused Ultrasound Foundation (FUS) has published its 2020 State of the Field Report, a 63-page annual update detailing new potential indications, laboratory research, clinical trials, treatments and growth in worldwide procedures performed in 2019.

Article • TAITRA at Medica 2019

A vision of Taiwan innovation

A popular proverb in Mandarin goes ‘Hearing something a hundred times is not as good as seeing it once’ (百聞不如一見). Visiting the Taiwan pavilion at this year’s Medica, it’s clear to see that the Bureau of Foreign Trade (MOEA) from Taiwan, together with the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and its foster companies, have taken this sentiment to heart.

Five Healthy Living finalists selected

Augsburg, Bavaria – Five teams of robotics specialists are finalists in the KUKA Innovation Award 2019 competition. Established in 2014, the Award focuses on medical robotics for the first time, Dr Rainer Bischoff, Vice President Corporate Research at KUKA, one of the judges of the award, explained. Around thirty talented robotics teams from all over the world submitted their concepts and an…

Article • 'ScoliBot' offers superhuman precision

New robots improve spinal straightening

ScoliBot, a new robotic system, could perform spinal surgery to a higher degree of accuracy than human counterparts. Devised by a team from Nottingham Trent University (NTU), the system has two robotic arms that semi-autonomously drill holes in individual vertebrae in procedures to straighten the spines of patients with conditions such as scoliosis or kyphosis. Leading the project, Professor…

Taiwan innovators shine at Medica

Health tech Made in Taiwan is among the mainstays of every MEDICA; this year’s fair is no exception. In co-operation with the Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) of the Taiwanese Ministry of Economics and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), 20 world-class healthcare companies are demonstrating innovative medical solutions based on national advances in Artificial Intelligence…

Article • Brain signals control a four-limb robotic system

Tetraplegic moves towards taking walks

Thanks to a four-limb robotic system controlled by brain signals, a patient with a cervical spinal cord injury could walk and control both arms for the first time in a proof of concept. Developed by CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission), the system is driven via the long-term implant of a semi-invasive medical device to record brain activity.

Loop-X: Imaging robot for spinal surgery

Brainlab recently unveiled its flagship Loop-X mobile intraoperative imaging robot that is specifically designed for spinal surgical procedures. Developed by medPhoton, an Austrian company, the device is now the core of Brainlab’s imaging offerings. The Loop-X robotic architecture introduces a new standard in flexibility, adding additional degrees of freedom to any surgical procedure: By…

News • Surgical breakthrough in France

Robot enables lumbar spine repair

Is it possible to repair the rachis without having to open the abdomen or the back? A team of French surgeons has done just that. Thanks to minimally invasive robotic surgery, exposing the patient to risky spine interventions may soon be avoidable, a leading surgeon explained. The team of neurosurgeons and vascular surgeons has, for the first time, successfully repaired the lumbar spine with the…

Article • Holistic concept

Healthcare in Taiwan: Between high-tech and tradition

Within a groaning 140-tonne particle accelerator a patient receives proton therapy, whilst down a few corridors, acupuncture needles are being placed and herbs mixed. Tradition and high tech walk hand in hand in Taiwanese healthcare. That’s what we learn during our visit to several facilities near Taipei.

News • Premiere

First-ever in-utero surgery to treat spina bifida

A team of specialists at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital and UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh have performed UPMC's first in-utero surgery to close an open neural tube defect in a baby months before her birth.

News • Spinal deterioration

For adult scoliosis, surgery is a viable option

For years, spine surgeons have debated the best methods for treating scoliosis in adults. New research found that surgery usually helped patients improve. It helped correct their curvature, and they had less pain.

Article • Medica 2018

The Czech med-tech market is thriving

The Czech Republic has a long tradition of ground-breaking medical innovations. At Medica 2018, the presence of Czech companies and traders underlined that medical devices and technologies from this country have continuing strength and value. Having recorded steady growth over the past few years, the Czech medical technology sector now produces a volume of around €870 million. 13,400 people…

News • Tech from Taiwan

Augmented reality is the future of surgery

Physicians have been performing surgery with the assistance of x-ray technology for almost half a century. While this technology has been progressing steadily, its limitations continue to be a major challenge. Thus, many professionals agree: it's time for our method to be changed. Taiwan Main Orthopaedics Biotechnology introduced the worldwide first smart surgical glasses.

Video • Dynamic spine brace

First robotic spine exoskeleton to help treat deformities

Spine deformities, such as idiopathic scoliosis and kyphosis (also known as “hunchback”), are characterized by an abnormal curvature in the spine. The children with these spinal deformities are typically advised to wear a brace that fits around the torso and hips to correct the abnormal curve. Bracing has been shown to prevent progression of the abnormal curve and avoid surgery. The…

Article • Profession

The growing role of a hospitalist

New words are consistently spun out in the USA and frequently assimilated into ‘American English’. Take the term ‘hospitalist’ (little used in European English), which was coined by the renowned academic physician Robert M Wachter (University of California, San Francisco) and his colleague Lee Goldman, in an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1996. Lisa Chamoff…

Article • TAITRA presentation

Taipei hits highs in Medica 2017

3-D visualisation, augmented reality, automated tumour classification – today, the Republic of China produces cutting-edge medical technology and it’s a long time since ‘Made in Taiwan’ stood for inferior, copied products. Over recent years, this island state has successfully morphed into a productive and, above all, innovative manufacturer of medical technology available on the world…

Article • Cloud Computing

Virtual fracture clinic boosts patient care

The Virtual Fracture Clinic (VFC) established by the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust sees patients with broken bones or soft tissue injury supported through video links and self-management methods, rather than make additional journeys to hospital for face-to-face appointments with orthopaedic consultants.

News • Anesthesia

Patients overestimate postoperative pain

Patients significantly overestimate the anticipated amount of pain they’ll experience following surgery, which researchers say can cause unnecessary anxiety in patients, according to a new study. Patients who receive regional anesthesia, such as peripheral nerve blocks, epidurals or spinal anesthesia, were most likely to overestimate their postoperative pain.

Article • Increase confidence in the operating theatre

Adapting to image guided surgery

In more than 21% of complex anatomical osteosynthesis procedures, an intraoperative improvement of the implant position or a revision of reduction has to be performed (Recum von, J. et al., Unfallchirurg 2012, 115:196-201, Die intraoperative 3D-C-Bogen-Anwendung. State of the art).

News • Regenerative medicine

Sugar-coated nanomaterial excels at promoting bone growth

There hasn't been a gold standard for how orthopedic spine surgeons promote new bone growth in patients, but now Northwestern University scientists have designed a bioactive nanomaterial that is so good at stimulating bone regeneration it could become the method surgeons prefer.

Article • Algorithms

Pattern recognition: Machines are learning fast

Language recognition on the smartphone, spam filters in the e-mail programme, personalised product recommendations by Amazon or Netflix – all share one feature: they are based on an algorithm that recognises patterns in a set of data. This artificial generation of knowledge is called machine learning.

The TUBE approach to perioperative point-of-care ultrasound

Anaesthetists working in perioperative medicine have increasingly taken a whole body approach to patient evaluation known as TUBE – Total Ultrasound Body Examination – thanks to the development of point-of-care ultrasound. Dr Christophe Aveline, Consultant Anaesthetist in critical care and surgery at the Sévigné Private hospital in Rennes, is an advocate of TUBE and works closely on its…

News • Study

Single high-dose radiation especially effective against prostate tumours

Doctors have found that treating prostate cancer with a single, high dose of radiation delivered precisely to the site of the tumour results in good quality of life and fewer trips to the hospital, with adverse side effects that are no worse than if the radiation treatment had been given in several lower doses.

News • Microdevices

A miniscule robot could assist in minimally invasive surgeries

A tiny robot that gets into the human body through the simple medical injection and, passing healthy organs, finds and treats directly the goal – a non-operable tumor… Doesn’t it sound at least like science-fiction? To make it real, a growing number of researchers are now working towards this direction with the prospect of transforming many aspects of healthcare and bioengineering in the…

News • Just by thinking

Quadriplegic bridges injury to move again

Bill Kochevar is the first recipient of implanted brain-recording and muscle-stimulating systems reanimates limb that had been stilled for eight years.

Article • Surgery

The 3-D printing revolution

‘It’s cheap, it’s accessible, and 3-D printing helps students to rapidly try out their product ideas,’ said Robert Webster, a visiting speaker at TU Delft from Vanderbilt University School of Engineering.

Article • Pain Points

MR images can link patient symptoms to pain generators

Have you seen the videos? Perhaps you have read the 20-page paper published in Radiology? At MR 2017 Garmisch you will have the chance to see and hear a live presentation by William Palmer, M.D., Director of Musculoskeletal Radiology & Intervention at Massachusetts General Hospital, a teaching hospital of the Harvard Medical School.

25 years of point-of-care ultrasound in anaesthesia

Dr. Thomas Grau, Head of Anaesthesia, Surgery, Intensive Care, Emergency Medicine and Pain at the Gütersloh Clinic, first studied ultrasound for a PhD on spinal imaging at Heidelberg University Hospital in the 1990s. 25 years on, he reflects on the role point-of-care ultrasound now plays in anaesthesia.

Article • Intervention

Hybrid ORs: not equally beneficial for all facilities

The hybrid operating room is one of the most innovative developments in the surgical sector. The combination of interventional and minimally invasive surgical procedures is exciting for many clinical disciplines. The room design, intraoperative imaging techniques as well as interdisciplinary collaboration play a pivotal role in this.

Article • Neurosurgery

Their parts are simply too big

‘An autonomously working robot in the operating theatre will continue to be a vision of the future for a long time to come,’ according to Professor Uwe Spetzger, Clinical Director and Neurosurgery Specialist at Karlsruhe City Hospital. At the same time, he is calling for political support for the development and promotion of these innovative technologies and asking funding bodies to rethink…

Article • Hybrid OR

Thumbs up for new C-arm system

3D imaging is continuously improving, with devices simultaneously becoming more manageable and mobile. The new C-arm system Ziehm Vision RFD 3D is opening up a new dimension. The device was tested by Dr Jan-Sven Jarvers, orthopaedic and trauma surgery specialist at the University Hospital Leipzig, and was introduced last September during the Eurospine Congress in Copenhagen. ‘In the future,…

Next generation O-arm – Surgical Imaging System

The O-arm Surgical Imaging System, has successfully established as the #1 multi-dimensional intraoperative imaging devise in spine surgery. Surgeons all over the world consider the O-arm their system of choice, convinced by image quality, ease of handling and reliability. Recently the next generation of O-arm was introduced to the market. Continuous development and innovation will allow the…

Article • Emergency care

Keep it simple and straightforward

Emergency medicine requires smooth, patient-oriented and perfectly timed cooperation of several clinical disciplines.

New CBCT for multidisciplinary diagnoses

A pioneer in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging, NewTom recently introduced the only CBCT system with an open gantry and supine positioning, which the firm reports is ‘…ideal for a host of diagnostic needs. Exceeding the limits posed by CT systems, the NewTom 5G XL combines high diagnostic resolution with minimum patient exposure.’

Spinal imaging

Last year, the DMS Group acquired 100% of the capital of AXS Medical, a French start-up specialized in developing diagnostic tools used for spinal pathologies.

Leading hospital installs new generation devices

The radiology department at the German hospital Asklepios-Klinik Lindau recently received the high-performance R/F table Sonialvision G4, a new generation of X-ray and fluoroscopy systems, which complements examination and therapy options, particularly in internal medicine, as well as general surgery and for spinal disorders, the manufacturer Shimadzu reports.

News • New procedure

Scoliosis: fewer surgeries for kids

Scoliosis – typically defined as the curvature of the spine— affects around 3 out of every 100 people. While most cases of scoliosis are mild, some children develop spine deformities that continue to get more severe as they grow. An especially severe spinal curve can reduce the amount of space within the chest, making it difficult for the lungs to function properly.

Article • Development

Dynamic braces for kids with scoliosis

Some six million people in the U.S. suffer from scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine. These include approximately 2 to 3% of adolescents who are diagnosed each year with idiopathic scoliosis, which is usually identified during puberty and progresses until skeletal maturity. One in 500 children today require treatment using spine braces and 1 in 5,000 need spinal surgery. The typical spine…

News • Surgery

Conjoined twins successfully separated

Twin girls born joined at the pelvic and hip region are recovering after separation surgery at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The girls are named Acen and Apio, but on Thursday they were carefully labeled “blue” and “red” to help surgeons know which monitoring equipment belonged to each sister as they carefully separated their spines, muscle and tissue.

Scan may identify best candidates for fetal spina bifida surgery

Fetuses with enlarged ventricles--the fluid-filled cavities inside the brain--may be less likely than their counterparts to benefit from surgery in the womb to treat spina bifida, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Article • Radiotherapy

Prostate: Free of cancer after five years

Results from a randomised controlled trial to compare the use of permanent radioactive implants (brachytherapy) with dose-escalated external beam radiotherapy in patients with prostate cancer show that the men who received brachytherapy were twice as likely to be cancer-free five years later. These results presented Professor James Morris, from the Department of Radiation Oncology, Vancouver…

Article • Head and Neck Radiology

The Radiologist’s Fear of Spaces

Imaging the head and neck is only rarely practised in radiology training and is highly complex and particulate, which is why, during our discussion with Professor Birgit Ertl-Wagner, Head of MRI at the Institute for Clinical Radiology at Grosshadern Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, she pointed out that many radiologists are not comfortable with orientation around this area. When…

Researchers build brain-machine interface to control prosthetic hand

A research team from the University of Houston has created an algorithm that allowed a man to grasp a bottle and other objects with a prosthetic hand, powered only by his thoughts.

Article • Tackling mobile tumours

Precision radiotherapy with 4D imaging

Radiotherapy always encounters particular challenges when a tumour is ‘mobile’. This is when radiotherapy must be carried out over several weeks. Within that period the tumour position, shape and expansion typically will keep changing. Thus radiotherapy needs continuous adaptation to maintain continuously precise radiation. Report: Chrissanthi Nikolakudi

News • Research

Seeking radiological routes to cure cardiac diseases

Radiotherapy is being proposed to treat heart diseases, specifically for hypertension and atrial fibrillation (AF).

CT is still the be all and end all

At this year’s meeting of the German Radiological Society (DRK), Dr Mathias Langer, Head of the Radiology Clinic at Freiburg University Hospital and the society’s 2013 President, assured EH that CT is still the be all and end all in trauma surgery.

Preventing sporting deaths

Football authorities across the world have been urged to adopt a universal standard of emergency care to help cut the potential for serious injury or death during matches.

Article • Infections

Maintain perioperative normothermia

Even mild perioperative hypothermia can have significant effects on rates of surgical site infections (SSIs), morbid myocardial outcomes, blood loss and transfusion requirements, altering the response to drugs, extending recovery rates, hospital stay and patient discomfort.

The new Alder Hey Children’s Hospital

Britain’s many new hospitals are more than brave architectural statements – they consistently win awards, inspire others and, above all, improve life for all who use them. Now another stunning creation is about to rise. Despite beginning life as a workhouse for the poor, and having to grow in bleak, outdated buildings, in its near 100- year history Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool…

The ascent of image-guided surgical interventions

Medical imaging is no longer limited to diagnosis and evaluation. New, high resolution imaging systems enable very precise positioning of lasers, endoscopes and micro-instruments for surgery near the nerves, spinal cord or blood vessels and for selective tumour destruction, with minimum levels of pain and low complication rates.

OrthoMIT

More than 30 clinicians, researchers and industry partners (including Siemens, Aesculap and SurgiTAIX, an RWTH spin-off) are working on OrthoMIT, Germany’s largest collaborative orthopaedic research project that aims to develop future strategies for knees, hip and spinal surgery. Anja Behringer reports

The 12th EFORT Congress

The 12th EFORT Congress, celebrating the 20th year of the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, aims to update knowledge of any specialty or subspecialty involving the diagnosis and management of bone and joint problems. The event will draw experts from over 30 European countries, and also benefit from specific contributions from Nordic countries.

ECR 2011 prelude

Vienna - For the 23rd time, the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) is opening its doors to welcome 19,000 participants from over 90 countries. The scientific exchange of knowledge and the presentation of the latest developments in the field of radiology will again be presented right in the heart of Europea. In an inaugural press conference on March 3rd, the hot topics of the congress were…

Europe’s first AIRIS Vento LT

November saw the opening of the private Avicenna Clinic in Berlin, a clinical "gem" set in the heart of Berlin, not far from the famous Kurfürstendamm. This spinal hospital is also the first in Europe to have installed the AIRIS Vento LT, Hitachi Medical Systems’ latest generation of open MRI systems in its AIRIS Series.

Peripheral nerve surgery

Neurosurgery has seen enormous progress, which should benefit as many patients as possible. However, according to Prof. Hanno Millesi MD, director of the Millesi Centre for Surgery of Peripheral Nerves, Wiener PrivatKlinik (WPK), a private hospital in Vienna, Austria, ‘methods are perceived incorrectly, because they are often confused with problematic predecessors, and sensible methods are…

The MR-guided intra-operative surgical suite

Intra-operative MR imaging is still uncommon in Europe – particularly in neurosurgery. One of the first neurosurgery departments to work with a 3-T MR is in the Central Military Hospital in Prague. The experience and initial clinical findings from treating more than 300 patients, over a two-year period, was reported at this year’s ECR.

Article • Mammo update

Breast cancer: Why MRI should not be a political decision

A paper of Professor Christiane K Kuhl and her colleagues had discovered that, to detect pre-invasive breast cancer (DCIS), the addition of high-resolution MRI and state-of-the-art mammography offered a significantly higher sensitivity compared with state-of-the-art mammography.

ulrich medical introduces new instrument for spinal surgery

By putting the obeliscPRO on the market, ulrich medical is launching the next generation of its proven obelisc vertebral body replacement system. With an expanded range of implants and more customized anatomical adjustment options, this new product from ulrich is a worthy successor to the previous version

New ways to treat slipped discs

For the last nine months, Jens Timmermann MD PhD, Head of the Interventional Radiology Department, has been using micro-invasive technology to treat these patients.

TIARA enhances therapists' workflow

A new IT system, designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the therapy department at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH) NHS Foundation Trust in Birmingham, is reported to have shown clear benefits for therapists, managers and patients.

Top award for brain-controlled neuroprostheses

We will use the grasping reflex - one of the first reflexes a baby utilises - without thinking for the rest of our lives. However, for those who suffer spinal cord injury of the cervical region, the upper extremities are affected along with the ability to grasp.

C-Arm technology in daily use

Last year, orthopaedics and sports medicine specialist Dr Rainer Burgkart (left), who is also a musculoskeletal researcher, selected a new C-Arm for use at the Technical University of Munich (Klinikum rechts der Isar). Recently, we asked him for the reasons behind this choice and his subsequent experience with this device.

Foetal surgery

Almost 25 years ago Michael Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) operated on the bladder of an unborn child. Almost eight years later, surgery was carried out on the diaphragm of an unborn child. His approach was controversial: a paediatric surgeon opened the abdomen and uterus of the pregnant woman, lifted out the foetus, performed the surgery and returned the foetus to…

The hospital protocol for dealing with terrorism

From 2000 to 2007, Israeli hospitals have treated the victims of 148 terrorist attacks.

Fully digital X-ray based 3-D imaging drives MIS

In recent years, intra-operative 3-D C-arm imaging has revolutionised orthopaedics and trauma surgery. In particular using the images created during an operation, C-arms with 3-D capability can produce 3-D views of a quality effectively on a par with those of a CT scan.

Moscow's medical mighty

By Professor Gennady Souchkevich, Deputy Director of the Moscow Research and Clinical Institute of Emergency Children's Surgery and Trauma.

Hemicorporectomy

Czech Republic - The second successful hemicorporectomy (translumbar amputation) was carried out several months ago by surgeon Frantisek Antos and team at the Bulovka Faculty Hospital, Prague.

SpinalAssist - Miccro-precise surgery assistant, equipped with MPS drive systems

Accuracy and precision are of the utmost importance in spinal surgery. At ComPaMED 2007, Micro Precision Systems AG (MPS) presented its SpineAssist - a bone-mounted system that accurately guides the surgeon when placing implants destined to stabilize spinal fusions in open and especially in minimally invasive surgery (MIS).

At a glance

Where are the most high-tech start-ups? That`s an easy one: Silicon Valley. But who comes in a close second? Surprisingly: Israel. Further: Israel ranks Number 1 in terms of availability of scientists and engineers and Number 2 in quality of higher education. The result of this impressive track record is a wide range of successful enterprises and products, particularly related to the life…

Article • Neuropelveology

Forging links between neurology and surgery

Surgery in the lower pelvic region often involves injury to or severing of nerve tissue. As in chronic diseases of the nervous system, the result can be pain, sensory disturbances or loss of function. Up to now the poor view of the nerves, partially formed of fine interwoven networks, has been one of the major problems – exacerbated by the strict division of skills between neurologists and…

CT Fluoroscopy-Guided Spine Interventions

Pain management due to spinal disorders and perispinal conditions represents an important health issue for the 21st century. Over the past decades, growing disability resulting from back pain has enabled development of alternative techniques and treatments to surgery. CT fluoroscopic needle guidance has allowed decreasing risk and maximizing patien comfort in spinal minimal invasive treatments.

Taking a dive into the 21st Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery Congress

Emphasis on advances in the use of computer assisted radiology and surgery (CARS) technologies in clinical diagnoses and therapies, will herald the opening of CARS this year.

Pioneering vertebral procedure

Czech Republic - In 2001, when doctors at the Motol Faculty Hospital first saw Dusan Matras, he was diagnosed with a thyroid gland problem. However, they later found he had a tumour. Six years later, Dusan has become the first in the world to undergo a unique surgical procedure on the vertebral column in the neck area.

MDCT imaging technique to evaluate bone healing

Increased diagnostic possibilities for orthopaedic patients.

Percutaneous therapy for pelvic fractures

Fractures and disruptions of the pelvic ring are most often unstable, and can therefore jeopardise patients' standing and walking functions.

Intra-operative imaging in modern neurosurgery

The brain has few anatomical landmarks. During surgery it is critical that the neurosurgeon knows the exact locality of surgical instruments in relation to important brain structures. Thus neuronavigation systems have become standard tools for planning and guidance.

Non-invasive therapy for herniated discs

USA - Pressure and inflammation caused by a herniated disc in the lumbar spine, and particularly painful sciatica, can be relieved using a neuroradiological technique rather than surgery, according to Dr Jeffrey A Stone, head of Interventional Neuroradiology at the Georgia Medical College, who reported on his procedure at the 44th annual meeting of the American Society of Neuroradiology in San…

Robot-assisted total knee replacement

Total knee replacement (TKR) is a common procedure for treatment of severe gonarthrosis, but the outcome may be unsatisfactory due to primary malalignment of the prosthetic components. To improve precision and accuracy of this surgical procedure, CASPAR, a commercial robotic surgical system, has been adapted to assist the surgeon in preoperative planning and intraoperative execution of TKR