Spinal News International Interviews Dr. McConnell

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Dr. Jeffrey McConnell was recently asked his thoughts on intraoperative fluoroscopic navigation during an opinion interview with Spinal News International. Read his opinion on why this relatively new technology has not been as popular as expected for spinal surgeons from around the world.

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Whilst intraoperative fluoroscopic navigation may offer a number of benefits to spinal surgery, uptake in the field is still relatively low. Jeff McConnell talks to Spinal News International about the limits of this technology.

 

What can intraoperative fluoroscopic navigation enable physicians to achieve?

There is an important difference, here, between fluoroscopic imaging and fluoroscopic navigation. I use fluoroscopic imaging frequently to localise bony anatomy to assist in placing pedicle screws percutaneously in the spine. It is truly “real-time” imaging. A disadvantage is that the images obtained are two-dimensional. Capturing these images also leads to radiation exposure. Fluoroscopic navigation can be done in different ways, all based on obtaining anteroposterior and lateral fluoroscopic images using an aftermarket reference frame attached to the C-arm. The images are then correlated using computer software with a pre-operative computed tomography (CT) scan. The simplest software system that I have seen simply requires the surgeon to plot screw direction with triangulation, and then line up the starting point on the skin with fluoroscopy. As long as you maintain the proper angle of trajectory, then placement should be successful. This can be fiddly, and it takes time to plot each screw. This seems less accurate to me.

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Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting

, News, Spine & Back Health

Tuesday, September 29, 2015 | New Orleans, Louisiana

At this leading scientific meeting on spinal surgery, Dr. McConnell presented the results of a clinical study involving the Prestige-LP cervical disc arthroplasty device. The FDA investigational device exemption (IDE) clinical trial compared the Prestige-LP total disc device to replace two consecutive discs in the neck versus the traditional surgery of two level disc fusion. At 5-year follow-up, patients who received the Prestige-LP two level artificial disc replacement achieved superior overall clinical results when compared to the fusion patients.

 

Click here to learn more about cervical disc replacement >>

Dr McConnell presented the study results during the Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves Neurosurgical Forum section of the meeting and the presentation was selected as Top Poster of the session.

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The Scoliosis Research Society 22nd International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques

Cervical Disc Replacement, News, Scoliosis

Friday, July 10, 2015 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

At this leading and prestigious scientific meeting on spinal surgery, Dr. McConnell presented the results of a clinical study involving the Prestige-LP cervical disc arthroplasty device. The FDA investigational device exemption (IDE) clinical trial compared the Prestige-LP total disc device to replace two consecutive discs in the neck versus the traditional surgery of two level disc fusion. At 24 months follow-up, patients who received the Prestige-LP two level artificial disc replacement achieved superior overall clinical results when compared to the fusion patients.

 

Click here to learn more about cervical disc replacement >>

IMG_3445Two-level Total Disc Replacement with PRESTIGE LP Cervical Disc vs Anterior Discectomy and Fusion: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Multicenter Clinical Trial with 24 Month Results

 

Jeffrey McConnell, Randall Dryer, Todd Lanman, Matthew Gornet, Scott D. Hodges

OAA Orthopaedic Specialists, Central Texas Spine Institute, Cedars-Sinal Medical Center, The Orthopedic Center of St. Louis, Center for Sports Medicine & Orthopaedics


Summary

Cervical anthroplasty at two contiguous levels using the PRESTIGE LP disc showed superior results to 2-level ACDF based on overall success criteria and NDI success.

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Carolina Panthers’ QB Cam Newton’s Car Accident Shines Light on Transverse Process Fractures

, , Spine Injuries

Cam Newton injury

The recent news of Carolina Panthers’ quarterback Cam Newton suffering two transverse process fractures in his spine may not surprise anyone who watches the high-contact sport of football. But the fact that Newton sustained those spine injuries during a car accident might surprise some. Stories of these injuries have regularly consumed many a sports-media headline this season.

From Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo’s transverse process fracture at the outset of the season, to Baylor University’s star quarterback Bryce Petty’s fracture of two transverse processes during a particularly physical play, this type of traumatic spine injury may seem commonplace on the football field today. The truth about traumatic spine injuries, which is what transverse process fractures are, is that they can happen to anyone and at anytime. And if you’re an otherwise healthy man under the age of 35, you’re at an even greater risk. Let’s explore.

Located on each side of every vertebra in the spine is a bony “knob” that protrudes from the back of the vertebrae. These bony projections have a purpose. They function as the platforms that muscles and ligaments of the spine attach to. Though these bony structures are pretty well insulated from injury by the thick and protective muscle structures that attach to and surround them, they aren’t invincible. A fracture of the transverse process usually occurs one of two ways. The first is by sudden extreme side-bending or twisting movements. The second is due to a direct impact to the process itself. In Newton’s case, it is likely that the impact of the car crash resulted in his body twisting to protect itself in a way that his spine was not prepared for. When that happened, the muscle contracture against the spine was forceful enough to “chip off” or break a piece of bone from the transverse process.

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