On Jan. 13, Becker’s Spine Review published an article titled “Leave spinal fusions to the surgeons, spine societies warn.” The article referenced the position statement drafted by the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves. The article points out that the position statement, which is endorsed by eight neurosurgical and orthopaedic surgery societies, notes that as “patient demand for minimally invasive techniques has increased, a significant number of non-surgeon clinicians now perform arthrodesis procedures that alter the biomechanics of the spine — despite the fact that arthrodesis of the spine remains outside the scope of training curriculum of physiatrists and pain management anesthesiologists who are currently performing these procedures.” It goes on to highlight the groups’ position: “Optimal patient care and patient safety are best served when surgical diseases affecting the spine are managed by neurosurgeons and orthopedic spinal surgeons trained in the full spectrum of spinal biomechanics, including instrumentation and fusion techniques. Therefore, arthrodesis or any other intervention that alters the biomechanics of the spine should not be performed by practitioners in other fields outside of specialty-trained neurosurgery or orthopedic spinal surgeons.”
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