Indiana Spine Group

The link below was an article presented at the 2011 Spine Section Meeting.  The data from the study provides benchmarks for perioperative and delayed complications associated with the treatment of CSM.

 http://thejns.org/doi/pdf/10.3171/2012.1.SPINE11467

I had the privilege to work with my colleagues and publish this article on 3 fixation methods in the C-2 vertebrae.  The conclusion determined was; using the freehand technique for inserting pedicle and intralaminar screws showed a high success rate with no critical violations.  To read the article, please click on the link below.

http://thejns.org/doi/full/10.3171/2011.6.FOCUS1167?prevSearch=Accuracy%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bfreehand%2Btechnique%2Bfor%2B3%2Bfixation%2Bmethods%2Bin&searchHistoryKey=

On April 17, 2012, Orthopedics This Week, named me as one of the top twenty-eight spine surgeons in America.  Selection was by leading spine surgeons picking the best of their peers.  The spine surgeons who appeared multiple times at the top of the lists became the top in the profession.

Quoted as a phenomenal technical surgeon and minimally invasive world leader, by my fellow peers. 

To see the article, please click here: http://ryortho.com/spine.php

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has a webpage called Orthopaedic Knowledge Online. Ryan M. Ilgenfritz, MD, Joseph D. Smucker, MD and myself wrote the article: Cervical Disk Arthroplasty and it can be viewed by clicking on the below link:

http://test2.aaos.org/oko/page.cfm?pageID=OKO_SPI031_P1&topic=SPI031

The Textbook of Spinal Surgery: Third Edition was just published.  I treat a large amount of patients with High Grade Isthmic Spondylolisthesis and was asked to write a chapter on the topic.  The title of the chapter is: High-Grade Spondylolisthesis: Posterior Decompression and Spanning.  Attached is the link to the textbook.

http://www.chegg.com/textbooks/the-textbook-of-spinal-surgery-3rd-edition-9780781786201-0781786207

During the 5^th Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS) Hands-on cadaver course: Cervical Spine Decompression and Stabilization Techniques in St. Louis, MO, February 16 – 18, 2012, I had the privilege to speak on Arthroplasty: Indications vs. Fusion, Results, Currently Available Products.

On February 9, 2012 I was faculty at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA.  I had the privilege of lecturing on; Differentiating Cervical Spine and Shoulder Pathology: Common disorders and key points of evaluation and treatment.  This lecture included information on cervical spine problems that mimic shoulder pathology and their treatment.

In the Fall 2011 Journal of the Spinal Research Foundation, three patients of mine, recipients of the Bryan Cervical Disc, were featured. The article describes their symptoms, diagnosis and participation in the clinical study. Being a part of the the clinical study and how the Bryan Cervical Disc changed their life, was also included. The importance of clinical studies and how they can improve the livelihood of our patients is the key component of the article. Please click the link and turn to page 56, to view the article.  www.spinerf.org/files/12.JSRFFall2011.pdf

The annual meeting of the Cervical Spine Research Society, was in early December and I had the opportunity to present on a number of clinical studies, they were as follows:

“The fate of a delayed union following an ACDF: A post-hoc analysis of data from a prospective, multicenter trial.” Cervical Spine Research Society 39^th Annual Meeting. Presented by Michael Kelly MD. December 9, 2011. Scottsdale, Arizona.

“Perioperative complication rates associated with surgical treatment based on a prospective multicenter study of 302 patients.” Cervical Spine Research Society 39^th Annual Meeting. Presented by Justin Smith MD. December 10, 2011. Scottsdale, Arizona.

“Impact of early and late complications on patient outcomes following surgical treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy based on a prospective multicenter study: The AO Spine North America CSM study.” Cervical Spine Research Society 39^th Annual Meeting. December 10, 2011. Scottsdale, Arizona.

“Long-term differences in dysphagia between cervical arthroplasty and anterior cervical fusion.” Cervical Spine Research Society 39^th Annual Meeting. Presented by Scott Bassuener MD. December 10, 2011. Scottsdale, Arizona.

Also during the meeting I served as a faculty member and took part in a debate forum wherein appropriate indications for anterior vs. posterior approaches for the surgical treatment of cervical radiculopathy were presented and discussed:

“Foraminotomy for spondylotic radiculopathy-Con.” Current controversies
in posterior cervical reconstruction.”

The Cervical Spine Research Society is a premier international society for the study of disorders of the cervical spine.

During the early part of December, I had the privilege of being a visiting professor at NYU. I lectured for the New York University Hospital Joint Division of Spine Surgery on the following topics: “Intraoperative Spinal Navigation” and “Upper Cervical Spine Trauma.”

Intraoperative Spinal Navigation is basically the GPS system in the operating room that allows us to see anatomical structures in 3 dimension on a computer screen and navigate or see our instruments in relation to anatomical structures.

The information given during the Upper Cervical Spine Trauma presentation included the diagnostic evaluation and treatment of upper cervical injuries for the occiput to C2.

In a prior blog entry, I highlighted a meeting the IMAST continuing education meeting that I participated in late this summer. (link to prior blog entry). At this meeting, a few talks/topics that I presented or facilitated discussion on included:

·         A paper that I co-authored on Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Study: Perioperative Complication Rates Associated with Surgical Treatment Based on a Prospective Multicenter Study of 302 Patients

·         At a debate on Multilevel Cervical Stenosis in the Straight Spine: Optimal Treatment, I presented the viewpoint of Anterior Decompression, Instrumentation and Fusion as the optimum spine surgical treatment.

·         I also moderated an instructional lecture on Options in Cervical Motion.

This November, a few chapters that I co-authored on spinal navigation were included in the Handbook of Spine Surgery published by Thieme Publishers. This book is a continuing medical education resource for spine surgeons. One chapter was on Spinal Navigation, which was included in the “Clinical Spine Surgery” section of the book. The other chapter in the “Surgical Techniques” section was on Facet Screw Fixation/Fusion.

This spine surgery educational book provides principles and techniques of spine surgery. Included in the book are sections on clinical spine anatomy, clinical spine surgery, spinal pathology and surgical techniques.

For more information or to order this spine surgical educational resource, visit this link.

Late this summer, I was a faculty member at a physician education meeting sponsored by the Scoliosis Research Society. This meeting was the 18^th International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques (IMAST), held in Copenhagen, Denmark. 

This IMAST meeting includes spine surgeons who are leaders in the field of research and advance spine technologies, for all areas of the all areas of spine (cervical, thoracic, and lumbar), most spinal conditions (degenerative, trauma, deformity, tumor), and a variety of treatment techniques. It is an honor to be asked to participate.

         The continuing medical education objectives of this meeting were to:

·         Assess the most recent advances in surgical techniques for the treatment of spinal disorders and when to use them, in the interest of providing optimal patient care.

·         Analyze the indications and potential complications for various spine fixation systems including spinal arthroplasty.

·         Recognize emerging technology that has the potential to improve patient outcomes for specific indications and populations.

I recently co-authored a chapter on Cervical Arthroplasty. This chapter was included in the book Advanced Reconstruction: Spine edited by Jeffrey Wang and published by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and North American Spine Society.

This continuing medical education book highlights the way that spine surgeons handle complicated spine surgical cases. Chapters provide detailed step-by-step guidelines on spine surgical procedures. In addition to surgical guidelines for each procedure – this medical education resource also provides indications, contraindications, alternate treatment, results, surgical techniques and post operative information for the procedures.

In addition to the chapter on cervical arthroplasty, there are over 60 spine surgical procedures addressed. A few other spine surgical procedures in the book include Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion, Cervical Laminectomy and Fusion and Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion. To review the complete table of contents, visit this link.

For more information or to purchase this book, visit this link.

Indiana Spine Group announces their new expanded physical therapy services. In addition to providing spinal therapy, our physical therapy specialists also provide diagnosis-based educational programs to teach patients the proper way to exercise with their given diagnosis. Additionally, wellness programs and classes will soon be available.

 
Physical therapy services are provided at our Indianapolis and Carmel locations. At our new Carmel location, we feature a state-of-the-art physical therapy gym, with equipment selected specifically for treating spinal conditions. 

Patients are seen with a referral from their physician, or self-referrals with a physicians order. For more information, or to schedule an appointment call (317) 228-7000.

This blog entry is part of a series of interview responses provided by Kevin Macadaeg, MD, a minimally invasive spine specialist with Indiana Spine Group. Dr. Macadaeg was recently interview about back pain and spinal treatments.

Is it difficult, or tricky to know how to treat back/neck pain? Is it something that is difficult to measure or quantify?

It is widely stated that more than half of all cases of back or neck pain are non-specific, meaning that they cannot be clearly defined. This takes into consideration the multitude of tests available, including history, physical, MRI, CT scan, bone scan, and EMG.

In December, Paul Kraemer, MD, is a featured Guest Guru on wcguru.com. Dr. Kraemer is a spine surgeon with Indiana Spine Group.
 

WCGURU is an online resource for worker’s compensation specialists, providing news, resources and information. As a guest guru, Dr. Kraemer highlights his treatment philosophy as well as providing a Top Ten list about Indiana Spine Group’s treatment philosophy and resources for patients, employers and worker compensation professionals.  

This blog entry is part of a series of interview responses provided by Kevin Macadaeg, MD, a minimally invasive spine specialist with Indiana Spine Group. Dr. Macadaeg was recently interview about back pain and spinal treatments.

What are some of the different causes or reasons for chronic neck or back pain? What would you say is the most common cause of back or neck pain?

The most common causes of chronic neck or back pain are degenerative disc disease and degenerative spondylosis (degeneration of the spinal joints, development of bony spurs, disc degeneration and calcification of spinal ligaments).

Other causes include herniated disc, spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal) and spondylolisthesis (slipping of a vertebra).

What are the different options available to treat this type of pain?

Recently Kevin Macadaeg, MD, a minimally invasive spine specialist with Indiana Spine Group was interviewed for a magazine article about back pain and spinal treatments. The following few blogs will highlight responses to the questions asked by the reporter.

What is chronic pain, and how is it different than acute pain?

Acute pain is considered “physiologic.” That means it is present when there is an underlying problem such as an acute injury, certain sicknesses and diseases. This type of pain is usually self-limited, and resolves when the underlying primary problem is healed.

Chronic pain is considered “non-physiologic.” It is present despite the fact that the underlying problem has healed or stabilized. Examples include peripheral neuropathy, degenerative disc disease, arthritis and cancer. Chronic pain commonly has associated emotional effects including depression, anger, anxiety; and physical effects including loss of appetite, weight gain or loss.