From the effects of weight loss drugs to the trajectory of spinal oncology, here are three big predictions from spine and orthopedic leaders.
Note: These responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Thomas DeBerardino, MD. Sports Medicine Orthopedic Surgeon at UT Health San Antonio: GLP-1 receptor agonists such as Ozempic and Wegovy will be a positive disruptive force in the orthopedic industry, by providing a new way to better control Type 2 diabetes. GLP-1 receptor agonists such as these have also been shown to reduce fracture risk in this subset of patients. Reducing hip fractures (by almost 40% in one study) in patients with Type 2 diabetes would be an incredible secondary benefit.
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Robert Rothrock, MD. Director of Spinal Oncology at Miami Neuroscience Institute: I think the trend [regarding spinal oncology] is that more and more patients will have good, meaningful treatment options as we continue to evolve every day. There will be more candidates for these sorts of beneficial procedures. In five years, ideally, we will be operating less because we're treating things earlier in their disease course.
We have seen, for instance, over the last five years a big evolution in how we treat pathological compression fractures. We have much better implants and devices we can use to stabilize vertebrae without even doing large instrumented surgeries. For the patients with spinal cord compression, we can integrate these technologies to do less invasive surgery, which means less time recovering. Everything we do in treating cancer of the spine has to do with quality of life. We put that first and foremost.
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John Shin, MD. Orthopedic Spinal Surgeon at RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group (West Orange, N.J.): In 2024, we'll see the orthopedic industry increasingly favor minimally invasive spinal surgery procedures and techniques over more conventional surgeries. More doctors will be trained in new procedures like unilateral biportal endoscopic lumbar spinal surgery (which I performed for the first time in New Jersey). The technique utilizes the same principles, tools, and operating room equipment as traditional spinal surgeries while being ultra minimally invasive. It offers the benefits of faster recovery times, lower risk of infection, less postoperative pain, and shorter lengths of stay for adult patients. In that same vein, robotic/navigation surgery will also become more popular in the coming year as hospitals invest in the surgical equipment that makes these kinds of surgeries possible and available to patients.
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