Rick Sasso, MD

In mid-October, I was a faculty member at a continuing education meeting held at the Orthopaedic Learning Center outside of Chicago. This meeting was sponsored by The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and theLumbar Spine Research Society. The focus of this continuing medical education meeting was “Contemporary Techniques in Spinal Surgery”.  I was a lecturer and lab instructor at this spine surgery education meeting. 

One topic that I lectured on was related to the surgical technique for a spinal fusion (C1 lateral mass screw, C2 laminar screw technique for posterior C1-C2 spinal fusion). Additionally, I participated in a debate about cervical disc replacement (arthroplasty) versus fusion. In this debate, I was pro cervical disc replacement. A few of the continuing medical education spine surgery labs that I instructed included: anterior cervical discectomy, laminoplasty, high cervical and upper thoracic dissection and laminoplasty.