The Orlin & Cohen Orthopedic Group in Merrick, N.Y., has added Brian Mercer, MD, to its spine surgical staff, according to a Nov. 23 news release.

Single-position anterior–posterior lumbar fusion surgery has significant advantages over the traditional approach to spinal fusion, New York City-based NYU Langone Health researchers found.

While the cervical spine market is well established, continued innovation within the segment has been limited, creating an opportunity to address challenges and enable surgeons to customize treatment to patient needs, versus the traditional one-size-fits-all approach.

Robert Bray Jr., MD, performed spine surgery Nov. 20 on Melissa Gilbert, an actress most known for her role on the TV series Little House on the Prairie, according to Page Six.

Surgeons at Al-Ahli Hospital in Doha, Qatar, performed a rare surgery to remove a spine tumor from a 10-year-old girl, according to a Nov. 19 report from Doha News.

The Bolt navigation system, designed by Circinus Medical Technologies, was named "best new technology" at the Spine Technology Awards.

David Campbell, MD, has sold his home in North Palm Beach (Fla.) for $6 million, The Real Deal reported Nov. 19.

  Here are the most-read articles on Becker's Spine Review from Nov. 16-20:

From a surgeon who helped operate on a shark to the loss of a beloved neurosurgeon, here are six spine surgeons making headlines this past week:

David Rosenblum, MD, director of the spinal cord injury program at Wallingford, Conn.-based Gaylord Specialty Healthcare, has been appointed medical director of the system's Milne Institute for Healthcare Innovation, Woodbridge Town News reported Nov. 19.

Since the beginning of the year, Becker's Spine Review has reported on 18 hospitals expanding spine programs: 

Spine surgeons in Italy removed a spinal tumor during a four-hour procedure while a grand piano was played to provide a therapeutic effect for the 10-year-old patient, according to Italian magazine Wanted in Rome.

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford has added Rob Hruska, MD, to its surgical team.

From new regulations for commercial payers to limiting reimbursement cuts, four spine surgeons share their post-election hopes.

Surgeons more accurately predicted patient-reported outcomes two years after lumbar spine surgery than patients, according to a study published in Spine.

A tweet from a Tennessee neurosurgeon has received more than 170,000 "likes" for sharing an operating room hack that would benefit anyone who wears eyeglasses, CTV News reports.

A woman has died after being struck by a car Nov. 9 in the parking lot of Athens (Ga.) Spine Center, the Athens Banner-Herald reports.

Renowned spinal neurosurgeon John Collis Jr., MD, died at his home Nov. 10 at 89 years old, according to The National Herald.

Memphis, Tenn.-based Jeffrey Sawyer, MD, is taking a novel approach to treating spinal deformities, local news affiliate WMC5 reports.

Gautier, Miss.-based Bienville Orthopedics' Joseph Cox, MD, led a team of 12 specialists in performing a spine surgery on Stella, a sand tiger shark, local news affiliate WMBF reported Nov. 16.