A University of Cincinnati (UC) neurosurgeon who has spent his career helping people with severe spine problems stand up straight has spearheaded the creation of a new spinal deformity classification system. The system, published this fall in the journal Neurosurgery, defines deformity in relation to the healthy, normal curve of the spine.

Patients' responses to a simple questionnaire can reliably predict whether they will adhere to physical therapy after spine surgery, Johns Hopkins researchers suggest in a new study.

A traditional, “open” surgical spine procedure typically involves the surgeon making a long incision, from either an anterior or posterior approach, dissecting and retracting layers of tissue as needed to provide both visualization and access to the affected area. For many kinds of operations-instrumented spinal fusion the most notable-open procedures remain the norm due to the demands of positioning, attaching, and configuring fixation devices.

A research study by orthopedic spine, back and neck surgeon at Rush University Medical Center Dr. Howard An and colleagues found that patients who underwent surgery for spinal stenosis showed significantly more improvement in all primary outcomes than did patients who were treated nonsurgically.