The 12th Annual New York City Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Symposium (NYC-MISS 2019) was held on December 14-16, 2018. Participants attended two days of lectures and case studies, followed by a hands-on cadaver lab session where they learned practiced the most advanced techniques for minimally invasive spine surgery. This year’s course featured the widest array to date of leading-edge equipment for advanced techniques, including robotic surgery.
Highlights of the symposium included a “Socratic Battle” between Dr. Juan Uribe and Dr. Sigurd Berven on the comparative benefits of MIS versus open surgery, a demonstration of Indirect Decompression via Transpsoas Approach and Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion with Dr. Luiz Pimenta, a demonstration of the MIS Decompression for Lumbar Stenosis by Dr. Roger Härtl, and the lab session, which featured 10 cadaver workstations featuring the newest MIS technologies.
The debate among spine surgeons includes questions about how surgeons select the correct procedure for the patient, whether minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and navigation should prevail over standard operative procedures for the treatment of spinal disorders, and how best to weigh the pros and cons?
Many surgeons currently do not have the expertise or technical knowledge to inform this decision-making process, which requires a comprehensive understanding of the new and less invasive techniques (with and without stereotactic navigation) for the operative treatment of spinal disorders, particularly an understanding of the skills essential in selecting appropriate patients for MIS surgery.
Through lectures, panel discussions, and case studies covering the most current techniques (microdiscectomy/laminectomy using tubular access, minimally invasive TLIF, transpsoas approach), pros/cons of MIS, complex case reviews, and a look at the future of MIS, this annual course provides surgeons with a better understanding of available procedures and criteria for appropriate patient selection. See the agenda below, and save the dates for this year’s course (December 12-14, 2019).
2018 Course Agenda
Day 1 — Thursday, December 13, 2018
12:00-12:45pm, Registration and Lunch
Belfer Research Building
12:45-1:00pm, Welcome Remarks
Roger Härtl, M.D. and Luiz Pimenta, M.D.
Session I: MIS Decompression
1:00-1:10pm, Introduction to course and MIS
Roger Härtl, M.D.
1:10-1:30pm, Step by Step: 10-step Technique; 3 Principles &
MIS Decompression for Lumbar Stenosis
Roger Härtl, M.D.
1:30 – 1:50pm, Step by Step: Decompression for Cervical
Pathologies Alexandre Sadao Iutaka, M.D.
1:50-2:10pm, Step by Step: Endoscopy for Spinal
Pathologies Christoph Hofstetter, M.D.
2:10-2:30pm, Step by Step: Indirect Decompression via
Transpsoas Approach and Extreme Lateral
Interbody Fusion Luiz Pimenta, M.D.
2:30-2:40pm, Tubular Far Lateral Discectomy: Tips and Tricks
Eric Elowitz, M.D.
2:40-3:00pm, BREAK
Session II: Navigation, Planning, Robotics, 3D Printing
3:00–3:20pm, Step by Step: 3D Navigation for Spine
Paul Park, M.D.
3:20-3:40pm, Robotic OLIF John Pollina, M.D.
3:40-4:00pm, Surgical Planning Using Advanced Software:
Current Status and Outlook
Frank Schwab, M.D.
4:00-4:20pm, 3D Printing in Spinal Surgery James Lynch, M.D.
4:20-4:40pm, Total Navigation Roger Härtl, M.D.
4:40-4:50pm, Robotic Navigation in Complex Deformity
Surgery Juan Uribe, M.D.
4:50-5:30pm, Panel Discussion: What Is the
Future for Robotic & Navigation? All Faculty
Day 2 – Friday, December 14th 2018
7:15-7:40am, Registration and Breakfast
Belfer Research Building
Session III: Advanced MIS Techniques
7:40-8:00am, Step by Step: MIS TLIF
Giuseppe Barbagallo, M.D.
8:00-8:20am, Expandable Lateral Cages
Sheeraz Quereshi, M.D.
8:20-8:40am, Single Stage Lateral Surgery & Navigation
Anand Veeravagu, M.D.
8:40-9:00am, Current Status Cervical TDR – Advantages
to Fusion Michael Hisey, M.D.
9:00-9:20am, Biological Approaches for Disc Repair and
Regeneration Christoph Wipplinger, M.D.
9:20-9:40am, MIS Cervical Facet Cages Rahul Shah, M.D.
9:40-10:00am, BREAK
10:00-11:00am, MIS Deformity Small Group Case Discussions
(breakout sessions, 2 rooms)
Moderators: Kai-Ming Fu, M.D., Ph.D. and
Michael Virk, M.D., Ph.D.
Session IV: “Socratic Battle”
11:00-11:20am, MIS Is Best for Deformity Juan Uribe, M.D.
11:20-11:40am, Open Surgery Is Better and Safe
Sigurd Berven, M.D.
11:40-11:50am, Q & A Moderator: Massimo Balsano, M.D.
11:50am-12:50pm, WORKING LUNCH Cases and Videos
Moderated by Sertac Kirnaz, M.D., Franziska Schmidt, M.D., and Christoph Wipplinger, M.D.
12:50-1:10pm, OLIF 5/1 John Pollina, M.D., Ph.D.
1:10-1:30pm, MIS Sacro-Pelvic Fixation Techniques
Frank Phillips, M.D.
1:30-1:50pm, Single Stage Perc Screws with Navigation
Michael Virk, M.D., Ph.D.
1:50-2:10pm, MIS Deformity Correction: Mini PSO
Juan Uribe, M.D.
2:10-2:30pm, Lateral Potential for Deformity Correction
Cristiano Menezes, M.D.
2:30-2:50pm, Posterior MIS Deformity Correction
Frank Phillips, M.D.
2:50-3:10pm, BREAK
3:10-3:20pm, Expanding Indications of MIS Deformity
Correction Based on the Newest ISSG
Consensus Recommendation
Kai-Ming Fu, M.D., Ph.D.
3:20-5:00pm, Lateral Deformity Correction: Tips and
Tricks Luiz Pimenta, M.D.
Breakout Sessions, 2 Rooms
Deformity Moderators:
Kai-Ming Fu, M.D., Ph.D. and
Michael Virk, M.D., Ph.D.
Endoscopy Moderators:
Eric Elowitz, M.D., and
Christoph Hofstetter, M.D.
5:00-5:15pm, Closing Remarks Roger Härtl, M.D.
Day 3 – Saturday, December 15, 2018
Session V: Techniques and Hands-on Lab
7:20-7:40am, Registration and Breakfast
Griffis Faculty Club
7:40-7:50am, Overview /Instructions
7:50-8:00am, Travel to Lab / Instructions
8:00am-2:00pm, Surgical Demonstration and Lab Dissection
Anatomy Lab
2:00-3:30pm, Sit-down Lunch and Case Presentations /
Videos Griffis Faculty Club
Moderated by Franziska Schmidt, M.D.
and Christoph Wipplinger, M.D.
