Artificial disc replacement reached a milestone in December 2022 when Aetna settled a 239-person class-action lawsuit over its coverage of lumbar spinal fusion. By settling, insurers can no longer use "experimental and investigational" as a reason to not cover artificial disc surgery.

Kornelis Poelstra, MD, PhD, on Nov. 11 completed the first spine surgery based on BoneMRI, MRIguidance said.

Neurosurgeon Bennie Chiles, III, MD, recieved his fourth consecutive Top Doctor honor from Castle Connolly.

Surgeons with New York City-based Lenox Hill Hospital began using Stryker's Q guidance system for spine surgery, Northwell Health said Jan. 23. 

Phillip Behrens, MD, joined Masson Spine Institute in Orlando, Fla. according to a Jan. 23 LinkedIn post.

Daniel Choi, MD, an orthopedic spine surgeon at Patchogue, N.Y.-based Spine Medicine & Surgery of Long Island, completed the first dualPortal endoscopic spinal surgery on Long Island, according to a Jan. 23 post on the surgeon's LinkedIn profile.

Becker's reported on four key spine studies so far in January:

Newport Beach, Calif.-based DISC Sports & Spine Center specializes in spine care, orthopedics, sports medicine and minimally invasive procedures. Here are three updates from the clinic since Dec. 5. 

Anterior lumbar interbody fusion patients who have lengths of stay less than 45 hours saw better outcomes, according to a study published in the International Journal of Spine Surgery.

Becker's reported on two ongoing court cases involving spine surgery in the last 7 days.

Five spine physicians with Coastal Spine in Mt. Laurel, N.J., were recognized by NJ Top Docs, the publication said Jan. 19.

Prone lateral spine surgery offers an alternative to the lateral decubitus position and eliminates the need to move a patient during the surgery. The technique has yet to be widely adopted, and while some surgeons see potential, others don't see it taking a grip on the industry any time soon.

A woman is suing Casper-based Wyoming Medical Center and two physicians for wrongful death on behalf of her husband who had spine surgery in 2018, K2 Radio reported Jan. 18.

Hamid Abbasi, MD, PhD, chief medical officer of Inspired Spine, traveled to Muscat, Oman to teach the oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusion procedure, the practice said Jan. 18.

Tamer Ghaly, MD, a pain management specialist and owner of Waterbury, Conn.-based iSpine and his partner, Marian Ghaly, bought four office units a Waterbury medical office complex for $1.1 million, Hartford Business Journal reported Jan. 17.

A man who had spine surgery in 2017 is suing University of California San Diego alleging he woke up during the four-hour procedure, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Jan. 17.  

In January, Novant Health opened its new Neurosciences Institute-New Hanover in Wilmington, N.C., to treat patients with brain and spine injuries from Southeastern North Carolina. Here are seven things to know about the institute: 

Mark Prevost, II, MD, completed the first total disc replacement at Jasper, Ala.-based Walker Baptist Medical Center in November, according to a Daily Mountain Eagle report shared by Centinel Spine.

George Frey, MD, is the latest spine surgeon to join Aclarion as an advisor.

Treating spinal stenosis with surgery instead of opting for conservative approaches is linked with lower two-year mortality rates and lower costs, according to a study in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.