Becker's ASC Review

70 ORTHOPEDICS 10 spine surgeons who debuted devices this year — Drs. Raymond Gardocki, Peter Derman & more By Alan Condon H ere are 10 spine surgeons who per- formed procedures with new devices this year: June Raymond Gardocki, MD, performed the first fully endoscopic interbody fusion with Integrity Implants' Flarehawk 7 expandable cage. Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University's Daniel Sciubba, MD, completed the first tumor resection with a new augmented real- ity system from Augmedics, an AR surgical image guidance startup. Jaren Riley, MD, of Rocky Mountain Hos- pital for Children in Denver, performed the region's first surgery with a vertebral body tethering system. Pierce Nunley, MD, performed the first procedure in a clinical trial examining the efficacy of a posterior cervical stabilization system in patients with three-level degenera- tive disc disease. e first procedures with Orthofix's Firebird SI fusion system were completed by Justin Hall, MD. May e first lumbar spinal fusion that fuses two bio- compatible polymer stabilization devices in the U.S. was completed by Steven Zielinski, MD. April Derek Taggard, MD, performed the first ef- fective implantation of Nexxt Spine's Matrixx corpectomy system at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, Calif. February Plano-based Texas Back Institute's Peter Derman, MD, completed the first procedure with the E3 MIS pedicle screw system, which is designed to improve placement of posterior instrumentation by percutaneous means. January William Tobler, MD, performed the first single-position lateral interbody fusion in an ASC at Cincinnati-based Mayfield Spine Surgery Center, using Medtronic devices. Kornelis Poelstra, MD, PhD, of e Ro- botic Spine Institute of Silicon Valley in Los Gatos, Calif., became the first spine surgeon on the West Coast to implant a Molybde- num-Rhenium rod in a patient during a spinal fusion. n Dr. Christopher Tomaras completes 100th robotic spine surgery at Atlanta ASC: 4 details By Laura Dyrda Christopher Tomaras, MD, performed the 100th robotic spinal fusion at Atlanta-based Polaris Spine & Neurosurgery in May. Four things to know: 1. The ASC was among the first centers in the Southeast in 2018 to pur- chase the Globus ExcelsiusGPS system for robotic spine surgery guidance and navigation. On May 12, Dr. Tomaras performed the 100th procedure at the center using the technology. 2. The ExcelsiusGPS uses a real-time, image-guided robot to insert screws into the spine. The system provides visualization of the patient's anatomy during surgery. 3. The robotic system uses uploaded radiological data to help surgeons navigate their procedure and determine the size and placement of implants so they can create a personalized plan. The robotic arm then fol- lows the surgical plan to assist the surgeon during the procedure. 4. ExcelsiusGPS also reduces radiation exposure and enables surgeons to use minimally invasive procedures. "At Polaris Spine, we are committed to providing the highest quality of care for our patients and staff and look forward to the exciting opportuni- ties that robotics will bring to the field of spine surgery," said Dr. Tomaras. "There is a new version of ExcelsiusGPS being introduced soon, and we are at the top of the list for getting one." n Dr. Michael Dorsi appointed to leadership role at UCLA By Alan Condon N eurosurgeon Michael Dorsi, MD, became director of community neurosurgery at the University of California Los Angeles Sept. 1. Dr. Dorsi specializes in disc replacement, spinal fusion and spinal reconstructive surgery for deformities, among other procedures. Since 2012, he has practiced with Ven- tura (Calif.) Neurosurgery. Dr. Dorsi completed his residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and was awarded a fellowship from the Cali- fornia Institute of Regenerative Medicine, where he spent two years researching spinal cord injury and stem cell transplan- tation at UCLA. n

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