On July 27th, 2024 I attended the OU Inaugural Spine Symposium, which was arranged by Dr. John Burke from OU.
The evening before the symposium, there was a reception at Vast, where two invited keynote speakers presented:
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Dr. Aaron Clark, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Clark spoke on lateral positioning for spinal surgery. This newer technique appears to carry fewer complications compared to traditional positioning and may represent an important advance in spinal surgery safety.
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Dr. Michael Safaee, M.D. Dr. Safaee’s talk focused on the application of genetics and molecular biology in neurosurgery. He discussed isolating genes that may predict poor surgical outcomes and using telomere length as a marker of biological age. These insights could one day help surgeons refine patient selection and optimize outcomes.
The conference featured some excellent talks. Likely the two most interesting talks were historical in nature. Robert Remondino and Barry Pollard began the day's talks by reflecting on the history of neurosurgery in Oklahoma.
- Dr. Barry Pollard spoke on his experience in establishing the only neurosurgical practice in Enid (sadly defunct now). Dr. Pollard graduated from OU, and completed his neurosurgery residency there. He then opened his own neurosurgery practice in Enid, where he hired his own personnel, rented his own office space, and purchased his own supplies. In his free time, he also founded P&K Equipment, one of the largest suppliers of farming equipment in the region.
- Dr. Michael Remondino is a highly accomplished neurosurgeon who graduated from OU, and subsequently completed his neurosurgery residency at UCLA, followed by a spine fellowship at Miami Jackson. He talked about the importance of doing more than just surgery and medicine. One example was an anecdote wherein he treated a patient who survived a remarkable accident involving a water tank that rolled off a trailer. Struck by the novelty of the accident, he called Hollywood, and contacted the producers of Rescue 911, a popular TV show at the time. He noted that doing such things in addition to surgery raises the awareness of the profession of neurosurgery, as well as the prominence of neurosurgery in Oklahoma.
Other noteworthy talks included a presentation on anterior cervical techniques by Dr. Ahmadinia, Dr. Doug Beall's talk on conservative treatment options like spinal allograft injections he is developing, and a talk by Dr. Zach Smith about the increasing role of technology in the operating room. Dr. Hakim Shakir also presented a nail-biting case of basilar artery thrombosis in a 16 year old that kept him up overnight, and involved having to raid the interventional cardiology supply cabinet for large-bore catheters.
There were many interesting talks. There was a short panel discussion including Drs. John Burke, Clay Cochran, and James Gregory, concerning a few spine cases. Dr. Cameron Shirazi from SSM Health gave a talk on deformity correction surgery that was quite interesting, including a few really cool interoperative videos and some great X-rays. Dr. Beall gave a talk concerning the use of stem cells in corrective spine surgery.
I've linked the full program. It was a really phenomenal event, the first of its kind in Oklahoma, and many thanks to Dr. Burke for putting it on.