In 2005, Eugene Stolowski was one of four firefighters who jumped from a burning building in the Bronx on what became known as Black Sunday. Two of the four died at the scene, and Stolowski suffered a life-threatening atlanto-occipital dislocation — the ligaments between the skull and the spine were torn. The story about Dr. Härtl’s surgery was featured in New York magazine the following year as part of the Medical Marvels series celebrating New York's Best Doctors.
"He had an atlanto-occipital dislocation.The bones were intact, but the ligaments between the skull and the spine were torn. The only thing connecting the head to the spine was the spinal cord. Just moving his head would risk paralysis, or death." – Dr. Roger Härtl
Read the full New York magazine article about Dr. Härtl’s life-saving surgery.
This article was also mentioned in a patient story. Read it here.
